Looking Into Your Eyes
by RySenkari
Summary: The sequel to the popular Sammy and Ami romance, Looking Up To You, is finally here! New villains arrive in Tokyo, plotting against Sailor Moon's friends and family, including Sammy and Ami! But why? Can Sammy and Ami's love survive these latest attacks?
1. A Strange Attack

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

--- 

The winter snow fell in light flurries, just outside of the classroom window. Inside, an eighth-grade boy sat at his desk, staring at the clock and chewing on the eraser of his pencil, waiting for the bell. 

"And can anyone tell me what the derivative of the limit function is in this equation? How about you, Sammy? You've been pretty quiet today, do you know?"

The boy stopped chewing on his eraser and looked up at the teacher, Miss Haruna. Sammy liked Miss Haruna, probably because of all the funny stories she told Sammy about his sister Serena, when _she _was in this class three years ago. 

"Um..." said Sammy, struggling to find the answer to the problem that he hadn't even been paying attention to. "Well, you see, the answer is-"  


The bell rang, rescuing Sammy from embarrassment. He leaned back in his chair, heaved a sigh of relief, and picked up his backpack from the floor. As the students filed out of the classroom, Miss Haruna questioned him again.

"Sammy, did you know the answer to that problem?" she asked, a smile on her face. Sammy knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Sorry, Miss Haruna... I was daydreaming," Sammy said, embarrassment starting to form in his voice. 

"It's alright, Sammy," Miss Haruna said. "As long as you do well on that test tomorrow... you're doing a lot better in this class than your sister ever did, but don't tell her I said that... she really was a nice girl, she just-"  


"Didn't apply herself?" Sammy said, finishing Miss Haruna's sentence for her. "Yeah, that's my sister for ya. Well, I'd better head out... see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Sammy!" Miss Haruna said, waving to Sammy as he left the room. "And don't forget to study!"

Sammy stepped out of the room and entered into the frantic rat race of students as they crowded the halls in their daily exodus from the junior high school. As he strolled toward his locker, which was just down the hall, he was approached by a boy about his height, wearing the same neatly-pressed black school uniform as he was. It was Sammy's friend Rick, and today, he had urgent news.

"Sammy!" Rick shouted as he approached his friend. "Are you going to the arcade after school?"

"Well, no, not really," Sammy said, smiling. "Actually, I was going to go down to the park to help Ami and all of her friends set up for the Winter Festival this weekend."

"Well, you know that high score that you set on _Battle Armada_, that's really high and has been up for practically a year? Well, yesterday, somebody came to the arcade and completely thrashed your record!"

  
"What?" Sammy replied in a stunned tone. "You mean the record I had of 3,650,000,000 points, gone?"

"Thrashed," Rick said. "The dude scored eleven billion points. _Completely _wiped your score out, man..."

"I'll have to go to the arcade and reclaim my record, but... not today, Rick," Sammy said as he reached his locker and began cramming various items into his backpack, as well as taking a black winter coat out of the locker and putting it on. "I really want to help Ami today... sorry."

"Eh, that's okay," Rick said, smiling. "You know, Mika wants to take me to the Winter Festival, too. She's supposed to be crafting some sort of ice sculpture, but she won't let me know what it is. Supposed to be some kinda surprise, I guess!"

"That sounds pretty cool," Sammy said. "How's Mika doing, anyway? I didn't see her today..."

"Well, that's the problem," Rick replied, frowning. "Mika called me up this morning and said that she had a cold... I don't know if she'll be better in time for the festival or not, I mean, it's in three days, isn't it? I got her a get-well soon card and some balloons, though. That might cheer her up!"

Sammy saw the balloons in Rick's left hand, and the card in Rick's right, and smiled.

"I'm sure your presents will do just the trick!" Sammy said. "Well, I'd best get going... Ami's school lets out in like, ten minutes from now, and I want to meet her there so I can walk with her to the park. See you later! And tell Mika I said get well soon, alright?"  


"Will do, Sammy!" Rick said as Sammy left the school and turned left on the sidewalk next to the road, toward Ami's school, while Rick headed right, toward the arcade. "And try to make it to the arcade soon, alright?"

As Sammy walked down the sidewalk, the snowflakes falling into and blowing out of his short, brown hair, he passed his house, and smiled as he dodged a snowball chucked at him by his sister Serena, standing in the front yard.

"What are you doing, Sammy?" Serena asked as Sammy walked past the house. "House is _this _way, kiddo."

Even though Sammy had found out about his sister's identity as Sailor Moon just six short months ago, he still thought of her as the same old obnoxious meatball-head who still tormented him fairly often. He had a lot more respect for her as the heroine that she was, but he hid it well, as he turned back toward his sister.

"I'm going to Ami's school, and then we're going to the park to help decorate for the Winter Festival. Why aren't you at the park helping, Serena?"

"Well, for _your _information, I've got a date with destiny in a half-hour from now. Actually, it's just a date with Darien. We're going to see the new movie, and I'm going to help the girls set up for the festival tomorrow, okay?" Serena replied. "Oh, and Sammy, one more thing."

"Yeah, sis?" Sammy said. "What?"  


A snowball flew into Sammy's face, faster than he could react. As the snow slid off of his face and down the front of his coat, he let out an annoyed grunt.

  
"That's so immature, sis," Sammy said, turning away from her and walking back down the sidewalk, toward Ami's school, as Serena laughed uncontrollably behind him. "Seventeen, and still throwing snowballs. You're nothing but a big baby."

---

Serena was mature, Sammy knew that for a fact. Otherwise, she couldn't lead a group like the Sailor Senshi... and without maturity, she _definitely _couldn't be a good leader of his friend, Ami. No, Ami was more than a friend to Sammy... they were lovers now. Sammy knew it, Ami knew it, and for the past six months, neither of them had ever been happier. They saw each other practically every day, and went out together as much as they could, almost as much as Serena and Darien did. They regularly spent a good deal of time studying with each other (with Ami helping Sammy out quite a bit on his school subjects). Sammy had even gotten into chess, so that he could follow Ami to her day-long chess tournaments. He wasn't really that bad, but not nearly as good as Ami was... still, there were other things that Sammy was good at. Video games, for example. Ami was good as well, but not quite as good as Sammy was. She had the brains, but not the reaction time... that was just one aspect of their relationship, little competitions, silly things like that. Chess, computer games, ping-pong, who could hold their breath the longest underwater, who could hold their breath the longest kissing...

"Well, this is it, Ami's school," Sammy said, finally reaching the large school building, _Greater Juuban High School For The Gifted_. 

Ami went to a separate high school than her friends did, at least for the latter part of the day. She spent the first half of the day at high school with Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina, taking several of her required courses, and then coming to this special school for the more advanced courses. It let out ten minutes after Sammy's middle school did, and thirty minutes after Serena's high school, so both Sammy and Ami's friends had to wait a little while for her to finish school before they could see her. Still, the walk from Sammy's school to Ami's took about seven minutes for Sammy, so once Sammy got there, he wouldn't have to wait very long to see Ami's beautiful face. That's the physical feature he liked most about her, her face, especially her beautiful, angelic blue eyes. Next was her blue hair, followed by her legs, and then, well... Sammy didn't pay much attention to Ami's chest. First of all, it wasn't very robust anyway, and secondly, he wasn't that kind of guy... he loved Ami for her kindness most of all. She'd been kind to him when she first met him, kind to him since that day on the beach, kind to him when she saved his life, kind to her friends, kind to his friends, and just kind to people in general, even if they made fun of her intelligence... that's what he liked second most about Ami. 

After just a minute or two, Sammy could her the bell from Ami's school building, and a large group of young men and women began pouring out of the entrance. The students weren't nearly as chaotic in leaving Ami's school as they were in Sammy's, that was for sure. Well, after all, they were smart...

"Ami?" Sammy said, standing in the front lawn of the school and watching the crowd for any sign of his blue-haired angel. "Ami, where are-"

  
And then, he saw her, in the middle of the crowd. Their eyes met immediately, and Ami waved at Sammy, smiling happily. She walked over to the lawn to greet him. When Sammy and Ami first met, three years ago, she was at least six inches taller than he was. When they'd fallen in love, six months ago, they were about the same height. Now, Sammy was three inches taller than Ami, and looking at the couple, you couldn't tell that the short, blue-haired girl was two-and-a-half years older than her boyfriend was. A lot of Ami's classmates, most of them at Serena's high school, knew that Ami was going out with an eighth-grader. Some of them harangued her about it, but many were understanding, and in fact, encouraging of the young couple. Ami had made several new friends at both of her schools, mostly through Serena, indirectly by Sammy prodding his sister to help Ami get more popular, thinking it would make his girlfriend happier. It did, as Ami now had a slightly more light-hearted, carefree outlook on life, thanks in part to her relationship with Sammy. But inside, she was still the same studious girl as she always was. Just one a bit more willing to have some fun.

"Sammy, I'm glad you came!" Ami said, greeting him with a hug. "So, are you ready to go down to the park and help set up the Winter Festival with us?"

"Yeah, I am!" Sammy said excitedly. "Bad news, though. Serena's going on a date with Darien... she won't be able to make it today."

"She already told us, Sammy," Ami said. "Don't worry. Lita, Rei, and Mina are going to be there, plus several other kids from school."

"That's always good," Sammy said. "I don't think we can set up this whole thing by ourselves!"  


"It's a big festival," Ami said, giggling slightly. "I'm glad I volunteered to help... events like this really help to raise the spirit of the community. Plus, it's a beautiful winter day! It's just a little bit cold...."

Ami wore a small, cream-colored woolen cap on her head, and a stylish-looking winter coat of the same color. A red scarf was tied around her neck, and there were light blue mittens on her hands. 

"Well, I guess we'd better get going, then!" Ami said. "I'm ready to go if you are, Sammy."

"Then let's do it!" Sammy replied. He and Ami walked back onto the sidewalk and headed down to the nearby park.

---

The Winter Festival was being held in a large clearing, surrounded by trees. Several of the trees had already been decorated with flashing lights for the occasion, shining through the snow that had caked onto the trees. About fifty picnic tables were also set up, but the decorations for them had yet to be placed. Also, there were no banners placed around the clearing. Those would have to be set up before the festival could begin.

"Hey, guys!" Rei shouted as Sammy and Ami walked into the clearing. Counting Rei, Mina, and Lita, there were nine students in all in the clearing, six girls and three boys. All of them were high-schoolers, with Sammy in middle school being the only exception. Lita and Mina turned from the picnic table that they had just began to decorate and waved at Sammy and Ami.

"So, you've already started..." Sammy said, looking around. "Who did the trees?"

"Those were already done by the park staff," said one of the male students, wrapping a bright red ribbon around the trunk of one of the trees. "They said that they'll probably be around to help sometime later on."

"The festival's supposed to raise money for the homeless this winter, Sammy," Ami said seriously. "A lot of people are going hungry this winter, and so the proceeds from the festival will go toward helping food get out to homeless shelters around Juuban."

"I see," Sammy replied, walking over to Lita, who was carrying a large box. "What's that?"

"These are the banners that we're going to put up around the park, Sammy," Lita said. "They'll direct the people to all of the games and stuff that we're going to have!"  


"I wanted to do a bikini dunk tank, but Rei thinks it's going to be too cold," Mina said. "I tried to tell her that if you wrap a towel around yourself and stand next to a space heater, you'll warm up, but-"

"There is absolutely no way that I am getting into a bikini and letting myself be dunked into freezing water when it's already twenty degrees Fahrenheit, and snowing two inches a day!" Rei yelled.

"Well, we use a hot tub," Mina said. "The water's nice and warm in there..."

"Guys, I _really _don't think a bikini dunk tank is a very good idea," Ami said. "I was thinking more along the lines of a ring toss, something where kids can win a goldfish to take home with them...."

"I used to have a goldfish," Sammy said, pulling a banner out of Lita's box and stringing it out between a couple of snow-covered trees. "It died, though. I think Serena killed it."

  
"Now Sammy, you know your sister wouldn't do something like that," Ami said, setting down a snowman-decorated tablecloth on one of the picnic tables. 

"You're probably right, Ami... I was pretty sad when my fish died, though, but I _was _six years old then..."

"Did you get a new one?" Lita asked. "I've never had a goldfish, but I know that if I had one and that it died, I'd probably want to get a new one to fill in the gap..."

"No, I haven't had a pet after that," Sammy said, sighing. "I kinda liked that cat Serena had, though... Luna was its name, right? I wonder where it went off to..."

Sammy had never been told about Luna's secret. After the Senshi defeated Galaxia, the two soldiers, Luna and Artemis, returned to Crystal Tokyo to serve at Neo-Queen Serenity's side, along with their daughter Diana. Although the cats' counsel would have probably been useful during the Senshi and Sammy's war against the Darkspawn six months ago, they hadn't returned since they first left. Sammy never found out that they had anything to do with the Sailor Senshi, and none of the Senshi had really even bothered to tell him.

"My cat Artemis disappeared about the same time, Sammy," Mina said. "I bet they just ran off to make kittens... they really did make a cute kitty couple, don't you think?"  


"Eh, sure, I guess so," Sammy said, perplexed. _"I still think Ami and me make the best couple, though..."_

"How are the placemats going, you guys?" Rei asked, turning toward Ami, who was busy decorating another table. "How about you, Ami?"

"I've done six so far!" Ami said, looking back toward Sammy. "Sammy?"

Sammy was still sitting at the first table Ami had decorated, his head bowed. He was daydreaming again...

"Sammy, are you okay?" Ami said in a concerned tone, walking over to Sammy and looking into his eyes. "Sammy?"

"Oh, sorry about that!" Sammy said, smiling. "I guess my brain must have dozed off a bit there, huh? I should probably start helping out a bit more...I'll get back to work right away!"

"Just go at your own pace, okay?" Ami said understandingly. "If you're a bit cold, maybe you should borrow my scarf..."

Ami removed the scarf from her neck and handed it to Sammy. He smiled, and as he got a closer look, he couldn't help but sniff the scarf slightly as it was held up to his face. 

__

"It's got Ami's smell... so nice..." Sammy thought, a floral scent emanating from the scarf, probably from the tiny amount of perfume that Ami was wearing. "No, that's okay, I'm fine..."

"Well, I'll let you borrow the scarf anyway, okay? You're not bundled up nearly as well as I am, I don't want you catching cold..."

Ami handed the scarf to Sammy, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and then walked back over to continue decorating tables. Sammy took the scarf and tied it around his forehead, warming him slightly. Then, he took some banners and ribbons from Lita's box and resumed decorating the trees.

__

"Thank you... sometimes, you're a little bit too _kind... but that's why I love you so much, Ami..."_

---

After about an hour and a half of work, the clearing had been pretty well-decorated. The tablecloths and placemats were all on the picnic tables, and many of the banners and ribbons had been strung up, including two large 'Welcome To The Juuban Winter Festival!' signs, one for each entrance to the clearing.

"Well, I'd say we did pretty well today," Rei said. "What do you guys think?"

"I'm glad we were able to get all this stuff done today," said one of the female students who'd come out to help. "Setting up the games and stuff will probably be the hard part..."

"Well, this place does look really nice now!" Ami remarked. "Everyone here should be very proud of themselves!"

"I agree," Lita said, smiling. 

"Give yourselves a pat on the back!" said one of the male students, a boy who had worked with Sammy in setting up the two large banners. "Same time tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Mina said. "Hey guys, if I rent the dunk tank, we can't get our money back, so we'd have to set it up, right?"

"If you rent the dunk tank, you're going to be the _only _girl getting dunked," Rei said. "So you'd better wear at least ten layers of clothes over that bikini that you're planning to wear."

"It wouldn't work, anyway," Mina said, smiling. "Nobody's mean enough to send a cutie like me plummeting into the frigid depths!"

"Well, goodbye, everyone!" Ami said, turning toward Sammy. "Are you ready to go back home now?"

"Yeah," Sammy said, smiling. "I'd ask if we could stop off somewhere for supper, but I've really gotta cram for a big math test tomorrow..."

"Me too," Ami said. "Actually, it's a history essay I have to write. One thousand words... and plus, I have to study for a physics exam. How about we go out after decorating here tomorrow? Does that sound good?"

"Alright, Ami! Tomorrow it is, then!" Sammy said, a big smile crossing his face.

---

Sammy and Ami walked back together to Sammy's house, and before Sammy stepped inside, he untied Ami's scarf from around his forehead and handed it to her.

"You let me borrow this, remember?" Sammy asked. "Thanks, Ami..."

  
Ami smiled, and then shook her head gently.

"That's okay, Sammy... you keep it! I noticed that you don't have a scarf, so I'm giving this one to you... I can buy a new one that's not very expensive," Ami said. "It's cold season, and-"

"Hee, you sound like my mom, Ami..." Sammy said, jokingly, of course. "But thank you, Ami... you're right, I don't have a scarf, and I probably should. It's been pretty cold lately... thank you."

Sammy and Ami leaned in, and exchanged a brief kiss on the lips, their faces warming from the blood that rushed through their bodies during the kiss. Then, Ami smiled at Sammy, and slowly walked away, back toward the sidewalk. Sammy sniffed the scarf again, then walked into his house and closed the door behind him. He set his backpack down by the door and took off his coat, rubbing his hands together as the warm air in the house quickly returned heat to his body.

"Sammy, is that you?" asked Sammy's mother as she stepped into the room, wearing oven mitts. "How did it go today?"

"Good, mom," Sammy said, smiling. He tied the scarf that Ami had given him around his neck. "We got most of the area already decorated, so all that's really left is to set up the games and stuff."

"And how was Ami?" Sammy's mother asked. 

"Ami was wonderful, mom, like always! She even gave me this scarf..." Sammy pointed to the scarf around his neck. "I tried to give it back to her, but she told me to keep it because I didn't have one..."

"Well, that was nice of her," Sammy's mother said. 

"Maybe I should get her something nice, too," Sammy said. He'd spent a great deal of money on a gift for Ami at her 17th birthday, a beautiful heart-shaped pendant decorated with a small blue sapphire. She always wore the pendant around her neck, and she said that it would always remind her of Sammy, and that's why she'd cherish it forever. "You know, like a pair of earmuffs or something... maybe some new snowboots... I'll have to think about it."

"I'm sure you'll decide on something nice to give her, Sammy. We're going to have mashed potatoes and gravy tonight, so I hope you're hungry!"

"Don't worry, mom, I am!" Sammy said. "Where's dad?"

"He's in the living room, watching a basketball game," Sammy's mother replied. "You should probably go tell him you're home."

---

That night, after supper, Sammy studied his math textbooks for three hours, until he was too tired to do it anymore. He took Ami's scarf off and set it down on his desk, next to his textbooks. Then, he took off his clothes, put on a pair of pajamas, and slid into bed. 

__

"I hope I do well on that test tomorrow," Sammy thought, closing his eyes. _"I sure studied hard enough... now I know... how Ami... feels..."_

Sammy's eyes were now closed. He was fast asleep.

---

__

"Ami? Ami?"

Sammy was in a dark, black, empty void. He could see everything around him, but all there was to see was darkness. Finally, a familiar figure appeared to him. 

"Ami!"

She stood there, hundreds of feet away from Sammy. She appeared to be stumbling around, as if she couldn't see at all in the total darkness that surrounded her and Sammy. Sammy rushed to her side, terrified as Ami grew dimmer and dimmer, Sammy's own vision fading as well. Finally, when he was just a few feet away from Ami, his sight failed him completely, and the darkness completely blinded him. 

"Ami, where are you?"

"Sammy?"

  
Sammy stumbled about, calling his lover's name. She called back to him, and though they could hear each other perfectly, neither could reach the other, although at times it seemed that they were only inches apart. Sammy was now sobbing, tears streaming down his face.

  
"Ami, please... please don't leave, please be okay!"

"Sammy, I'm right-"

And then, Ami was silenced. Her voice could be heard no more. Sammy thought, prayed that it was only his senses of hearing going as well, and that Ami was alright... but then, a sinister laugh shattered that hope as well.

"Sammy, I'm right here," called the new voice, a voice that sounded eerily familiar... it was a young male's voice, yelling out to Sammy, mocking him. "And Ami's gone forever."

Sammy turned toward the source of the voice, and what he saw horrified him.

"IT CAN'T BE!" Sammy shouted. "Please, not-"

---

As Sammy was having the terrible nightmare, just outside the house in the front yard, four figures were standing around, ready to attack.

"Now, remember, we are only here to kill the three. The mother, the father, and the boy. Do _not _touch the Moon Princess, do you understand?"

The man who had said this was tall, with a fairly slender build. He wore a tight-fitting black outfit with a bright red cape, and large, brown boots. His hair was short and blonde, and he had narrow green eyes that seemed to shimmer with a dark glow. Snow fell onto his black suit, which covered his chest, arms, and legs, keeping them immune from the cold. He had an imposing presence, and was clearly the leader of the group.

"Only the kid and the two adults, I hear ya!"

The other, small man jumped up and down, ready to carry out his dark mission. His skin was light blue, and his large mouth and tongue, as well as his big, dark red lips, gave him the appearance of an imp-like creature, complete with a small dagger in his hand. He was about a foot shorter than the blonde man, and he wore a similar outfit, except that his lacked a cape. 

There were also two women in the group. They appeared to be twins, and they were strikingly beautiful, almost as tall as the blonde man. They had long, jet-black hair, and large eyes with red irises. They both wore long, flowing, gold-colored dresses, and though it seemed as if the dresses would expose the two women to the elements, they seemed as unaffected by the cold as their leader was. Completing their outfits were beautiful black gloves and matching high-heeled black boots. The one difference in appearance between the two girls was the difference in the large, strikingly flashy wings that were on their backs. One of them had the beautiful white-feathered wings of an angel, while the other possessed the black, scaly wings that a devil might possess. The two girls giggled as the small, impish man began to approach the house.

"You really think Nevin can pull this off?" asked the angel-winged girl, turning toward the tall, blonde man. "I mean, what if he wakes up you-know-who?"

"Hopefully, that won't happen," said the devil-winged girl. "Jekelai knows what he's doing."

"Girls, if Nevin fails, we're leaving, since we cannot be revealed to the Moon Princess just yet," said Jekelai, which was the name of the blonde man. "If she sees us, this entire mission may be lost."

Nevin turned the doorknob on the front door. Although he expected it to be locked, he chortled in delight when he discovered that it was not, and the door opened easily.

"They left the door unlocked," Nevin said, smirking. "Fatal mistake!"

"Be careful, Nevin," Jekelai said. "Get in, kill the three, and get out."

"You know, I never liked Nevin," said the angel-winged girl once the bluish imp man had gotten out of earshot. "I kinda hope Sailor Moon vaporizes him."

"Yeah, but if that happens, we fail the mission," said the devil-winged girl. "As much as a pain in the ass Nevin is, we've gotta hope he finishes this thing."

---

"Aaaah!" Sammy shouted, sitting up in his bed with sweat running down his face. "That... was a bad dream..."

Just then, Sammy heard a bumping noise coming from his parents' room. With a worried gasp, he got out of bed and listened for more.

"What's that?" Sammy said, perking his ears. _"It's probably just one of them getting up to get water..."_

But then, Sammy heard another noise... a sinister chuckle that definitely didn't belong to either of his parents. Quickly, Sammy walked over to his doorway and went outside to investigate. The door to his parents' room was open, and a wave of fear swept through Sammy's body.

__

"They don't leave their door open at night..." Sammy thought, creeping toward the room. _"Something's definitely up... I wish I had my sword, but I lost it six months ago fighting Lazuli..."_

As Sammy entered the room, he saw something that filled him with terror. Nevin was standing over his sleeping parents' bed, blasting them with a wave of thick, purple fog.

"This'll keep 'em asleep while I stab 'em to death!" Nevin said, laughing. 

"Hey, you!" Sammy shouted. "Leave my parents alone!"

Nevin leapt off of the bed and walked over to Sammy.

  
"Ah, the kid. Well, I'd like to knock you out too, but I guess your death's just going to have to be painful. Sorry about that."

Nevin stabbed at Sammy, but he quickly jumped out of the way. As adrenaline began to rush through Sammy's body, he threw a kick at Nevin's head, but Nevin was ready, ducking under the kick and tackling Sammy hard to the ground. It had been a while since Sammy had last fought, and his skills had quickly gotten rusty. Sammy was doomed.

"Say goodnight, kid!" Nevin said tauntingly, holding the large dagger above Sammy's neck.

__

"Only my sis can help me now," Sammy thought. "Sere-"

Nevin clamped his hand down over Sammy's mouth, muffling the boy's cries for his sister.

"Nice try, but we already know Sailor Moon lives here, kid. Yeah, that's right, we _know _your sister is Sailor Moon. That's why you have to di-"

"Mercury Ice Javelin!"

Nevin was cut off in mid-sentence. He let out a loud, painful gasp, then stumbled backward, dripping blood down the back of his leg. He dropped his knife and released his grip on Sammy, then turned around.

"Sailor... Mercury?" said both Sammy and Nevin at the same time. Sailor Mercury stood face-to-face with Nevin, towering at least a foot over the bluish imp, scowling angrily at him.

"I fight for love... and I fight for justice... and I fight for my friends," Sailor Mercury said. "How dare you try to harm the person I love... now either surrender, or fight!"

"I'll fight!" Nevin said, pointing his arms at Sailor Mercury. "I wasn't prepared to fight _you_, I was thinking that Sailor Moon would show up to protect her little brother!"

"Well, I guess she's a sounder sleeper than I thought..." Sammy said, running over to the side of his parents' bed to check on them. "Be careful, A... Sailor Mercury!"

Sammy was careful not to use Sailor Mercury's real name, so that these new villains, whoever they were, wouldn't learn Ami's secret as well as his sisters. He hadn't seen Ami as Sailor Mercury since Lazuli's defeat six months ago, and he wasn't used to seeing her again as the mighty superheroine.

"Take this!" Nevin shouted, firing out of his hands two large streams of sticky string. Before Sailor Mercury could react, the string wrapped tightly around her arms, and Nevin began to pull her in toward him.

"Sailor Mercury, no!" Sammy shouted.

"I'm alright..." Mercury said. "Mercury Ice Javelin!"

A javelin formed in both of Mercury's hands, and with a quick twirl of the javelins, she freed her arms from the string's grasp, tossing Nevin back into the wall.

"Argh!" Nevin shouted as his back impacted the wall with a great amount of force. "You little-"

"Mercury... Aqua... Rhapsody!" 

Mercury played a giant, shimmering blue harp, sending torrents of freezing water rushing straight at Nevin. The water slammed into the imp and disintegrated him almost instantly, surprising even Sailor Mercury.

"Wow," Mercury said, watching as Nevin was destroyed. "And after all this time, too... I still remember all of my powers..."

"I guess it comes back to you, just like riding a bike," Sammy said. "Well, my parents are both okay, I checked their pulses, they're both just sleeping a little bit deeper, thank goodness."

"Sammy, are you hurt?" Sailor Mercury asked, concerned about Sammy's safety. "I mean, that monster had you pinned on the ground..."

"He shouldn't have had me pinned, either," Sammy said bitterly. "I... I should've been able to take him... after fighting Alexis, and Scion, and Lazuli... oh, Ami, I'm so rusty, I-"

"It's alright, Sammy," Mercury said. "I'm just glad you're okay... and your parents are as well..."

"Thank you, Ami," Sammy said, wrapping his arms around his blue-haired savior. "But... how did you know to come here?"

"Well, about ten minutes ago, I saw a strange energy portal opening across the street from my house... I looked outside my window, and there were four people coming out of it, Sammy..."  


"Wait, an energy portal? With four people coming out?" Sammy said, in disbelief. "That's not good news..."

"I transformed into Sailor Mercury and started following them... they led me all the way here, but they never once saw me," Mercury said. "When that blue creep came into your house, I followed him in, and-"

"Found me," Sammy said.

"What's going on in here?" Serena asked, stepping into the room and rubbing her eyes. She was wearing bright pink pajamas, with fluffy white bunny slippers on her feet. Naturally, she wasn't ready for a fight. "Sailor Mercury?"

"Serena, something really bad went down here," Mercury said. "Your parents and Sammy were just attacked..."

"WHAT?" Serena yelled in shock. Sammy and Serena's parents began to stir, but fell back asleep before they could open their eyes. 

"Ami took out one of the people attacking, but there are apparently three bad guys still out there, right, Ami?" Sammy asked.

"That's right, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said. "But... I can't see them outside the window..."

"They're gone," Sammy said. "They probably went back through their portal..."

---

But they hadn't gone back. Instead, Jekelai and the two winged girls had retreated to the safety of a nearby rooftop.

"Nevin is dead," Jekelai said stoically. "I just felt his death."

"What?" asked the angel-winged girl. "But... how?"

"Did Sailor Moon wake up and kill him?" asked the devil-winged girl. "Man, that really sucks..."

"No," Jekelai said. "Sailor Mercury."

"Sailor... Mercury?" stammered the angel-winged girl, in disbelief. "But where did _she _come from?"

"She was following behind us the entire way to Sailor Moon's residence," Jekelai said. "I would have killed her if she were not integral to another part of this mission."

"Geez, so you _knew _she'd show up and ruin your plans, and you didn't stop her?" said the devil-winged girl, slightly angry. "Well, that's just dumb..."

"No, it's not," Jekelai said. "I did not expect her to show up, but what's done is done. Besides, I do not believe that we need to target Sailor Moon's family... not just yet, anyway. We will focus our efforts on capturing the Senshi instead. Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus."

Jekelai waved his arm, causing a gate to appear in front of him.

"Ceyra, Yeika, come," Jekelai said, gesturing toward the gate. "We still have much to do."

---

So, the next story has begun! I bet you're wondering... what the heck are the new villains doing? Why did they attack Serena's family? What IS their plan, anyway, and why does it involve capturing the Senshi? All these questions will be revealed soon... boy, do I have a good story coming for you! ^_^ So, if you're enjoying the sequel so far, please review!


	2. Girls Against Girls

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

--- 

"Great fire, please... show me all you have to tell..."

"Is this really going to work?" Sammy whispered, sitting next to Ami and watching Rei stare into a blazing flame. Before school, Serena, Ami, Lita, Mina, and Sammy had all come to Rei's Shinto shrine, trying to solve the mystery of last night's attack.

"Shh," Ami whispered. "Rei's trying to concentrate..."

The flame continued to burn, and Rei chanted several more verses, the fire flickering with each verse. Finally, the flame stopped, and burnt out. Rei turned to the others.

"There is an evil force at work, but it is... hidden," Rei said. "Clouded."

"Clouded?" Serena asked.

"Probably when they went into that portal," Sammy said. "What kind of force is it?" 

"I'm not quite sure," Rei said, pacing about the hard, wooden floor of the shrine. "Like I said, it was clouded, so I couldn't see very much."

  
Rei walked over to Sammy.

  
"Sammy, you said that you had a dream last night... do you remember what you saw in the dream?" Rei asked.

"Well, it was really dark, but... well, anyway, I felt a huge, evil presence after Ami disappeared, and then, when the evil force finally revealed itself, it was... it was..."

"What was it, Sammy?" Ami asked. "Don't try to push it if you don't want to reveal the whole dream just yet..."

"Tell us!" Mina said eagerly. "Some kind of monster, right?"

"It was... it was me," Sammy said. "It was another me, it looked just like me... that's when I woke up."

  
"Hold on," Serena said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Let me get this straight. The dark force in the dream was... you?"

  
"It's really not very smart to make too much of dreams anyway, Sammy," Lita said.

  
"Lita's right, Sammy, I'm sure _you're _not evil," Ami said reassuringly. "It was probably just a nightmare, with no real meaning... I mean, some dreams do have meaning, but..."

"It's okay, you guys," Sammy said, smiling. "You're right, it was just a dream... I shouldn't think too much into it."

"Hey, you guys," came a young male's voice, entering the room. "Shouldn't you girls be headed off to school? Well, girls _and _boy."

The girls and Sammy turned around to see a tall man wearing a long white and blue robe. He had long, brown hair, and held a broom in his hand.

  
"Chad, what are you doing here?" Rei asked. "You know you're not supposed to come in while I'm conducting a-"

"I'm sorry, Rei, but I just wanted to remind you guys that school's about to start, that's all," Chad said. "See you all later, okay?"

After Chad left the room, Serena, Ami, Lita, Mina, and Sammy stood up.

"We probably should head to school, you guys," Serena said. "I can't afford to be late again!"

"I'm going to stay here for a couple more minutes and see what else I can learn from the flame," Rei said. "I'll catch up with you guys later, okay?"

As Sammy and the girls left the room, Rei walked back over to the altar and closed her eyes.

__

"I know there are strong evil forces at work here... I just... have to find out what they are..."

"Yoo hoo, girly-poo," came a female's voice from the back of the room. "What'cha doin'?"

Rei quickly opened her eyes and turned around to see a black-haired girl with angelic wings, standing before her. It was one of Jekelai's twin minions.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Rei shouted, getting into a defensive stance. "You need to leave, immediately!"

"My name is Ceyra, and I'm a collector on a mission. Right now, that mission is to collect Sailor Senshi... including you."

Rei gasped in shock. _"How can she possibly know I'm a Sailor Senshi? Sammy and Ami told us that the creature who attacked Serena's house last night knew about her being Sailor Moon, but... is this another one of those creatures?"_

"I won't let you take me," Rei said, holding out her henshin stick. "Mars Crystal Power!"

Rei quickly transformed into Sailor Mars, and Ceyra squealed in delight.

"Why are you so happy?" Mars shouted. "You're about to get burned."

"I think not," Ceyra replied, a grin on her face. "My dear, if you think Nevin's powers were anywhere near my level, you're wrong... you won't be beating me that easily."

"We'll see about that!" Mars shouted. "Mars Celestial Fire... Surround!"

  
Eight deadly rings of flame shot outward from Sailor Mars' body, with Ceyra as their target. Ceyra leapt away, dodging some of the rings, but the others slammed into her, five in all. A huge explosion engulfed the angelic being's body, and Sailor Mars smiled.

"Your little collector's club is canceled," Mars said. But her confidence was short-lived. As the smoke began to dissipate, a flurry of tiny white feathers came rushing at her, the sharp, pointed stems of the feathers directed right at Sailor Mars. "What the-"

The feathers stabbed through the sleeves and skirt of her outfit, sending her flying back and pinning her by her fuku to the wall. Ceyra emerged from the smoke, laughing. Mars' attack had done some damage, singing Ceyra's skin slightly, but Ceyra seemed mostly unharmed. Sailor Mars grimaced in pain and fear, as even though most of the feathers had only pierced through Mars' sleeves, some of the razor-sharp points had come a little too close, forming tiny scratches on her skin.

"Dammit, let me go!" Sailor Mars shouted, struggling to get free from the feathers that were pinning her arms to the wall. "Argh!"

"Oh, it's no use struggling," Ceyra said snidely. "Those feathers are incredibly strong, infused with magic... looks like I've won, and now, I get to claim my prize."  
  
Ceyra pointed her arm at Sailor Mars. The feathers began to glow brightly, and Sailor Mars screamed in terror as she and Ceyra disappeared from the Shinto shrine in a bright flash of light.

---

Meanwhile, after dropping off Sammy at his school, Serena, Ami, Lita, and Mina had been standing outside their own school for several minutes, waiting for Rei. There wasn't as much snow as there was yesterday, as it fell in light flurries. Still, the girls were beginning to get cold. 

"You guys, Rei only said she'd stay for a couple of minutes, and now it's been five," Serena said. "You don't think she's still back at the shrine, do you?"  


"She seemed quite troubled," Ami replied. "Maybe Rei saw something that we didn't see?"  


"Well, whatever it is, she's about to be late," Lita said. "I'm sure she'll show up sooner or later..."

  
"We should probably go inside! I'm freezing!" Serena said, her teeth chattering.

  
"Alright, we'll just catch up with Rei later then," Mina said. The girls nodded and headed into the school building.

---

That afternoon at Sammy's school, the big math test was getting ready to start. Sammy watched as Miss Haruna passed the test sheets around to everyone in class, until she finally got to Sammy. She gave him the test, and he picked up his pencil and began to look it over.

"You have one hour to complete the test," said Miss Haruna as she sat back down at her desk. "There are eight questions, but they're tricky, so you'll have to take your time. I shouldn't have to tell you that there will be no cheating allowed, so try to keep your eyes on your own paper. Now... begin."

Sammy leaned his elbows on his desk and rested his head in his right hand as he glanced at the first problem on the test, his brain searching for the answer.

__

"Let's see here... a woman who owns a flower shop has twenty-five bouquets of red roses, and forty bouquets of white roses. If she can sell fifty bouquets total, and red roses are 5,000 yen, while white roses are 3,000 yen, what combination of bouquets will lead to the best yield of profits? Ugh, I don't know how to run a flower shop... I should think about what Ami said when I first asked her to help me study this sort of thing..."

---

__

Two weeks ago, in Sammy's room, Sammy and Ami were sitting on the floor with several math textbooks and pieces of paper in between them. Ami was helping Sammy with his homework, which seemed to be getting tougher and tougher everyday.

"Ami, how do I work this problem?"

"Well," Ami replied sweetly, sliding over to Sammy, "what exactly is it?"

"I've got this graph, and this formula, and I have to find out what the best combination of numbers are that go in this formula."

"You have to find the maximum and minimum," Ami said, pointing to one of the diagrams in Sammy's math textbooks. "It's a profit equation. It's quite simple, really... the hardest part is finding the points. Then all you have to do is plug in the numbers and solve for them."

"So, how do I find the points?" Sammy asked. "I never really was good at graphing..."

"You can solve it algebraically; there's no graphing to it," Ami said, smiling. "See, that's the beauty of math, you can find so many different ways to solve the problems... it's a lot like life, really."

As Sammy looked into Ami's eyes from just a few feet away, and saw her beautiful smile for what must have been at least the fiftieth time that afternoon, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of love and joy... love for Ami, and joy that he could be with her... that he could make her happy. When she was happy, he was happy... their souls were truly bonded together. That had to be it... 

"Thank you, Ami," Sammy said, scribbling down some notes on one of the pieces of paper. "That really helps."

"I'm glad I was able to help, Sammy," Ami said, drawing even closer to him. "I love you."

Sammy stopped scribbling on the paper and put down his pencil. He leaned in close to Ami and kissed her deeply for the next few seconds, not knowing why Ami had decided to kiss him, but happy that they were kissing. Sometimes he would kiss her just because he got the urge to do it, and sometimes she would kiss him. As they were kissing, the door to the room opened, and Sammy's mother walked in.

"Sammy, are you doing your home...work?" 

Sammy and Ami abruptly stopped kissing and stood up, turning toward Sammy's mother.

"Um... well, we were before we started kissing!" Sammy said, as innocently as he could. Sammy's mother smiled... she'd caught the two of them kissing before, and was getting to the point where she was ready to just ignore it. With a sigh, she closed the door, and Sammy and Ami began to snicker, Sammy moreso than Ami.

"I guess we'd better get back to your math homework, Sammy," Ami said, her cheeks starting to turn a bright shade of red. Sammy simply nodded.

---

__

"What was the problem again?" Sammy said to himself, having nearly wasted ten minutes daydreaming instead of working on his test. _"Oh yeah, the profit equation..."_

---

"Rei never showed up at school," Serena said as she, Lita, and Mina walked down the path toward Rei's Shinto shrine. Ami hadn't gotten out of school yet, but Serena was so worried that she didn't even want to wait for Ami, instead, heading right down to the shrine with Lita and Mina.

"Think something happened?" Lita asked. "Maybe she's still looking at the flame..."

"So she saw something big... big enough to stare at that flame for nearly eight hours?" Mina stammered. "I don't think so, guys..."

As the three girls began to approach the shrine where Rei had been, Chad and Rei's grandpa came running up to them, frantically. Chad's face looked especially worried.

"You guys, I think Rei was attacked!" Chad shouted as he ran up to Serena. "I heard her scream, and when I went to go check on her, she wasn't there! And I found this, embedded in the wall!"

Chad held up a small, white feather. A drop of blood had caked onto the end.

"That's blood," Lita said in a worried tone. "But... what could this feather be?"

"Maybe Rei was attacked by a bird!" Serena said.

"This is pretty serious," Mina replied. "Maybe it's not Rei's blood..."

"I don't know whose blood it is, but all I know is that I heard Rei scream, and now she's gone!" Chad yelled, fear and concern clearly evident in his voice. 

Chad had stayed at the Shinto shrine with Rei and her grandfather, and anyone who really looked could tell that Chad cared for Rei deeply. He'd tried to get into Tokyo University, but he'd been turned down, so he stayed at the shrine, waiting for the day that the university would finally accept his application.

"My poor Rei, she might have been abducted by terrible creatures!" Rei's grandpa shouted. "If you girls know _anything_-"

"I wish we knew something, but we don't," Lita said sadly. "But... what could have possibly happened to Rei? Last time we saw her, she said that we should go on to school, and that she wanted to stay after a bit and tend to some things. How long after we left did you hear her scream, Chad?"  


"About five minutes or so," Chad said. "I can't believe something like this could've happened..."

  
"We'd better get back to Ami and tell her about this," Mina whispered to the other two girls. 

Serena and Lita nodded. 

"Sorry, Chad, but we've gotta go... um, look for Rei," Serena said. 

"I'd better go look for her too," Chad replied. "If you guys see Rei at all, you've gotta let me know, alright?"

Serena, Lita, and Mina nodded. 

"Oh, one more thing," Serena said. "Could we... have that feather?"  


Before Chad could reply, Serena plucked the feather from his grasp. Then, the three girls ran toward Ami's school as quickly as they could. If Rei really had been taken, Ami might be in danger too...

---

"So, Sammy, how do you think you did on that test in Ms. H.'s class?" Rick asked as he and Sammy walked out of the school building and headed toward the arcade.

"I think I did pretty good," Sammy said, even though he'd just barely managed to finish all of the problems.

  
"I'm kinda glad I don't have Ms. H.'s class," Rick said. "I mean, I'd like to be in class with you, but I heard she was really tough."

  
"She gives tough work, but she's really nice," Sammy said. "Part of that's probably because I'm doing a lot better than my sister did when she was in there, though. So, Rick, is Mika doing better?"  
  
"She was in class with me today, but she was still sneezing and stuff," Rick said. "She said that it really cheered her up when I gave her those balloons and that card yesterday... and that she felt a lot better after I gave them to her!"

"I'm glad she did, Rick," Sammy said, smiling. "I didn't get to see Mika today, though..."

  
"I told her that you wanted her to get well," Rick replied. "She told me to tell you thanks!"

Finally, Sammy and Rick arrived at the Crown Arcade, where Sammy, and sometimes his sister and her friends, hung out. 

"I'm going to reclaim my record today, Rick," Sammy said, entering the moderately-sized arcade and walking over toward the _Battle Armada _machine. As they walked around the arcade, they could see Serena, Ami, Lita, and Mina, standing at the counter and talking with Serena's friend, Andrew. As Sammy saw Ami, his face lit up.

"Hey, Sammy, isn't that your girlfriend?" Rick asked, pointing over to the counter.

"Yeah, that's Ami!" Sammy said. He ran over to the counter, but as he saw the worried look in Ami's eyes, he frowned. "I wonder why she looks so sad?"

"Sammy?" Ami said, turning around to face him. "Hello..."

"Ami, what are you all doing here?" Sammy asked. "Why are you so worried?"

"We're looking for Rei," Ami said worriedly. "She disappeared, and we thought she might be here..."

"We found this feather where she disappeared," said Serena, showing the mysterious white feather to Sammy. "Oh, Ami... I guess you haven't seen this feather either, have you?"

"Sorry we forgot to show it to you when we picked you up, Ami," Mina said.

  
"That's quite alright," Ami replied, gently taking the feather from Serena. As she began to examine it, her eyes widened. "I think I've seen this feather before!"

"What's going on here?" Andrew asked. Ami handed the feather back to Serena and led her over to the women's restroom so that they could talk in private. Lita and Mina started to follow, but stopped as Rick walked up to them.

"You guys, what's going on?" Rick asked quietly. "What was the whole deal with that feather?"

"You were watching, Rick?" Sammy asked his friend. Rick nodded.

"It's nothing serious," Lita lied. "Just a-"

  
"Lita, Mina, he knows," Sammy whispered, pointing at Rick. Lita and Mina looked surprised for a few seconds, but then nodded.

"I swear, I haven't told anyone," Rick whispered. "Sammy told me a while ago, when you were all at that opera house... I had to help him sneak in."

"Well, you two should probably just go about your business as usual," Mina said. "We'll take it from here."

"She's right, Sammy," Rick said. "Whatever's going on right now, I'm sure the Senshi can handle it... we should go play _Battle Armada_...."

"Alright," Sammy replied, although he felt a little guilty about not helping Ami. Still, he was fairly sure that the Senshi could take care of whatever new evil had risen up... just like Ami had done yesterday...

---

"Alright, nobody's in here," Serena said, turning to Ami. "You saw this feather yesterday?"

"Yes... one of the suspicious people I tailed yesterday had large, angel-like wings... with white feathers," Ami said. "I think that Rei might have been attacked by her!"

"Should we go tell the others?" Serena asked.

"Yes," Ami said. "You go... I'll stay here and scan this feather with my VR Visor."

"Alright," Serena said.

"I'll be right out," Ami replied. Serena nodded, then exited the restroom. Ami withdrew her henshin stick and held it in her hands, placing the blood-caked feather on the white sink of the restroom. "Mercury Crystal-"

Suddenly, one of the restroom stalls flew open, and a black-haired girl with large, black, devilish wings tackled Ami to the wall with incredible speed, putting her hand over Ami's mouth before she even had a chance to scream.

"My name's Yeika," said the girl. "Wow, Ceyra had to deal with Sailor Mars when she was transformed... I guess once we get you back to headquarters, we can trigger the Mercury transformation on our own."

Ami tried to scream, but found her screams muffled as Yeika held her against the wall. She smacked her henshin stick across Yeika's face, but the devil-winged girl was completely unharmed. 

"A futile attempt," Yeika said evilly. "You're mine."

"Venus Arrow of Beauty!"

A large, golden arrow of magical energy flew into Yeika's arm, causing her to fly off of Ami and slam into the wall. As Ami slid to the floor, breathing heavily, the arrow, still embedded in Yeika's arm, pinned the devil-winged girl to the wall.

"Ami, are you alright?" said Sailor Jupiter as she ran into the room, followed closely by Sailor Moon.

"Oh my gosh, how did you guys know I was in trouble?" Ami asked, standing up. Serena smiled.

"As I left the bathroom, I heard a loud noise in the restroom, so I ran over to Lita and Mina, and we quickly ran into the men's restroom and transformed," Serena said. "Nobody was in there, thank goodness..."

  
"You interfering fools!" Yeika shouted, angrily pulling the arrow out of her arm and hopping down from the wall, blood trickling from a large gash made by the arrow. "Oh well, I can take all of you on! I'll capture all of you and make this easy!"

"You'll never defeat the Sailor Senshi!" Sailor Moon shouted. "In the name of the Moon... we'll punish you!"

"We'll see about that," Yeika said. "Take this!"

Yeika leapt back, but as she did, she slammed into the hard restroom wall, her head smacking especially hard against the firm tile.

"We've got you trapped!" Sailor Jupiter said. "You won't escape!"

"That's what you think!" Yeika said, extending her arms. "This wall has gotta go!"

A large burst of black-colored energy emanated from Yeika's body, smashing into the back wall of the restroom and disintegrating it instantly, exposing the large, vacant lot behind the arcade, as well as a wide, busy street.

"Now to attack!" Yeika shouted, leaping back into the vacant lot. "Beams of Dark Destruction!"

The Senshi braced themselves as Yeika fired several dozen small beams of energy at them, the beams flying at the Senshi with incredible speed. The beams slammed into the four Senshi, creating a huge explosion and knocking the four of them to their knees.

"She's strong..." Sailor Jupiter said through clenched teeth, weakly standing up with the rest of the Senshi. "But not too strong to dodge this! Jupiter Thunder Axe!"

An axe, comprised entirely of lightning energy, formed in Sailor Jupiter's hands. She swung it at Yeika's head, but Yeika ducked under it, dodging it easily.

"You're just too slow!" Yeika shouted. "Take this!"

  
Yeika swept her leg under both of Sailor Jupiter's, sending her crashing to the ground and causing her axe to disappear.

"Oh no, Jupiter!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"What's going on?" Sammy yelled, running into the room. "We heard a big explosion, and everybody ran out of the arcade, including Rick... are you all okay?"

"Sammy, get out of here!" Sailor Mercury shouted angrily. "We can handle this!"

Stunned by his girlfriend's angry reaction, Sammy stepped back a few feet, but didn't leave, instead, staying near the entrance of the restroom. 

"Mercury Ice Javelin!" shouted Sailor Mercury, turning around and hurling several large spears of ice at Yeika's head and chest. Yeika twirled one of her arms around in front of her body, forming a small, red tornado that sucked up the spears and sent them hurling into the air. Then, the tornado came rushing at the Sailor Senshi. Sailor Moon pointed her henshin stick at the tornado and fired a magical blast of her own, disintegrating the tornado and hitting Yeika squarely in the chest, knocking her flat on her behind and sending her skidding out into the vacant lot. The Senshi followed her, and Sammy entered the restroom, getting closer to the fight so that he could get a better look.

"Not bad," Yeika said, rising to her feet and brushing herself off.

"You won't defeat us!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "Even when there are only four of us, our powers are still strong!"

"Do you know how many other warriors I've killed?" Yeika said proudly. "Thousands. Thousands, in a single fell swoop! You really don't know the full extent of my powers, and frankly, you don't deserve to see them... but I'll give you a sample!"

Yeika flew high into the air, using her wings to soar about fifty feet. Then, she dove at the four Senshi. Watching the fight from the relative safety of the destroyed women's restroom, Sammy gasped in horror.

__

"She's going to do something terrible, I know it!" Sammy thought. As Yeika flew toward the Senshi, however, they did something Yeika hadn't quite planned for. They fought back.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury shouted, sending powerful waves of water energy headed straight toward Yeika. As she tried to fly threw the waves, they slowed her down and knocked her back, and as they finally dissipated, Yeika had been stopped in her tracks, shaking and shivering as crystals of ice formed on her body.

"You w-w-w-weren't s-s-s-s-supposed to attack!" Yeika shouted, her teeth clattering. "I'll show you!"

Undeterred, Yeika flew at the Sailor Senshi again. A trail of black energy began to form behind her, and it rippled the air around her as she flew at the Senshi. Suddenly, Sailor Jupiter stepped forward.

  
"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. A huge, dragon-like beast of lightning met Yeika in the air, causing a huge cloud of sparks and lightning to fly off of the devil-winged girl's body. Again, Yeika was stopped in her tracks, and the attack left several burns and bruises on her body.

"Yes!" Sammy cheered, pumping his fists. "They're kicking his butt! Maybe the Masked Warrior won't have to come out of retirement after all..."

"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Yeika shrieked, screaming and throwing forth a huge flare of black and red energy from her body, causing an aura of dark magic to form around her. 

  
"You'll never defeat the Sailor Senshi!" Sailor Venus said confidently. "Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

A long, golden chain flew out from Sailor Venus' body, but instead of being hit by the chain, Yeika grabbed it as it flew toward her. The Senshi gasped.

"Not this time," Yeika said coldly, her once carefree expression now an angry scowl. "You're mine."

  
With a powerful tug of the chain, Sailor Venus was sent flying up toward Yeika. The Senshi could only watch helplessly as Yeika dove toward the ensnared Sailor Venus and tackled her, then flew into the concrete with incredible energy and velocity, causing a large explosion of black light.

"NO!" Sailor Moon shrieked in horror.

"Sailor Venus!" shouted Mercury and Jupiter. As the large cloud of smoke cleared, the three Senshi immediately ran over and peered into the bottom of a large crater that had been made on the ground. The crater was six feet wide and four feet deep, and looked like it had been caused by a truly prodigious impact. Sammy ran out as well and peered down inside the crater, causing Sailor Mercury to look up at him again.

"Sammy, what are you still doing here?" Sailor Mercury asked. "I told you to leave, Sammy... I mean, I know you're still concerned about us, but-"

"They're gone!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Sailor Venus and that woman are gone!"

Sammy, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Jupiter looked down into the crater. Sure enough, both Yaika and Sailor Venus had disappeared into thin air.

"She's taken her," Sailor Jupiter said in astonishment.

  
"And... and we might be next," Sailor Mercury said, a tear running down her cheek. _"No... the evil has returned..."_

---

Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars, abducted? Can it be? And what of Sailor Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter? Are they next? Can the crazy winged chicks be stopped? Find out... next chapter! (DISCLAIMER: Not all questions may be answered next chapter.) 


	3. Forced To Be Alone

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: Coming next chapter! ^_^

--- 

As Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Jupiter lamented the abduction of Sailor Venus, something even more sinister was taking place. On the rooftop of a ten-story apartment building just a few blocks away, Jekelai was taking care of another matter of business.

"Well, Tuxedo Mask, how does it feel to taste the cold, hard ground yet again?" Jekelai said, taunting Tuxedo Mask. Jekelai had intercepted him as he was rushing to the aid of the Senshi in their earlier battle against Yeika, and now, Tuxedo Mask was getting the beating of his life. His face was heavily bruised, and cut in several places. There were rips and tears in Tuxedo Mask's clothing, where Jekelai had directed attacks at Tuxedo Mask's arms and legs. Now, the battered warrior was barely able to stand as he got up to face Jekelai again.

  
"You... why are you doing this?" Tuxedo Mask groaned, struggling to form words. "What is your... plan?"

"You really think I'd tell you something like _that_?" Jekelai said, a bit of a chuckle starting to form in his voice. "My dear, dear Tuxedo Mask... or is that Darien? Or perhaps Moonlight Knight? Or even... King Endymion?"

Tuxedo Mask gasped as Jekelai named off every single identity that he had gone by, with striking casuality.

__

"How does he know all this?" Tuxedo Mask thought. 

"Yes, Tuxedo Mask, I know all there is to know about you... especially one particularly juicy tidbit of information. Sailor Moon... Serena... Queen Serenity... she loves you deeply, does she not?"

"Where did you get all this information?" Tuxedo Mask shouted, a stream of blood coming from one side of his lips. "TELL ME!"

  
"There's no need to be rude," Jekelai said, rushing toward Tuxedo Mask with incredible speed and dealing him a blow to the stomach with a small blade attached to his wrist, sending Tuxedo Mask crashing to the hard concrete surface of the roof yet again. "Just because I'm not going to kill you just yet doesn't mean that you shouldn't be polite to me... I might torture you less when Sailor Moon shows up."

Jekelai pointed his hand at Tuxedo Mask and blasted him with a small burst of magical energy, causing him to roll over to the edge of the roof. With one last, pained groan, Tuxedo Mask finally fell unconscious. Jekelai smiled and walked over to the fallen warrior, picking up a single red rose from his unconscious form. He held it in his hand and gently caressed the petals, a sadistic smile on his face.

"Three down, two to go," Jekelai said. "And then the Moon Princess will finally be ready for the procedure."

With a flash of dark light, both Jekelai and Tuxedo Mask disappeared into thin air.

---

"First Sailor Mars, and now Sailor Venus..." Sailor Moon said, looking down into the crater and shaking her head regretfully. "I can't believe this..."

"This is terrible!" Sailor Mercury said, a tear running down her cheek.

"We've got to save them, you guys," Sailor Jupiter said, clenching her fists. "When I get my hands on that winged freak, I'll-"

  
"There's two of them," Sailor Mercury said. "And the one I killed, and then one more..."

"So, wait... there's three bad guys left now?" Sailor Moon asked. "I guess we know who's responsible for this...."

  
"And I won't let anyone take you, Ami!" Sammy said in a determined tone. "I think that it's time I got back into the hero business, and-"

  
"NO!" Mercury said sternly, looking Sammy straight in the eyes. "I won't let you get hurt again, and I won't let you get killed again! Absolutely, positively, no!"

  
"Ami, don't be so harsh on the kid..." Sailor Moon said sympathetically. "I know how you feel about him, but-"

  
"No.... no, Ami's right," Sammy said, although from the sad tone in his voice it was clear that he was trying extremely hard not to cry, as Ami's yelling at him had deeply affected his demeanor, no matter how much he tried to hide it. He began to get choked up. "I'll just... go back home, and-"

"Oh, Sammy..." Mercury said, leaning in and wrapping her arms around Sammy as the tears began to flow down her face in streams. "It's alright... I was so wrong to yell at you like that, you were just trying to help, and I know how much you care about me... I just... I just don't want anything happening to you..."

"Do they always do that?" Sailor Jupiter whispered, leaning in close to Sailor Moon.

"Nah... I haven't seen them all weepy like that since the battle against Lazuli," Sailor Moon whispered. "This is a pretty rough time."

"It's alright, Ami," Sammy said, tightly embracing his lover. "I... I promise that no matter what, we'll both be okay... I don't know how, but I'll protect us both, alright?"

"What do you... mean, Sammy?" Mercury asked.

"You'll see," Sammy said, gently pulling away from Sailor Mercury. "I'll be back, okay? You guys try to take care of yourselves in the meantime!"

Sammy ran off toward the street and headed down the sidewalk. The other Senshi followed him to the sidewalk, and then watched him as he ran.

  
"What's he doing?" Sailor Mercury asked. _"Sammy... be careful... now I know how you felt about me all those times when you tried to protect me..."_

"We should probably go back to Rei's temple," Sailor Jupiter suggested. "Now that we know what kidnapped Rei, we should tell Chad and Rei's grandpa exactly what happened."

"Is that really a good idea?" Sailor Moon asked. "I mean, if we confirm that Rei was kidnapped, it'll just worry them a whole lot more..."

"That's true," Sailor Jupiter said. "Mercury, do you know where we should go next?"

Sailor Mercury sighed. In her heart, she felt worried about Sammy... she wanted to follow him, see what he was getting into... she was concerned for his safety, but she also knew that the Sailor Senshi were the bad guys' targets now, and not Sammy. In that sense, she felt relieved, because even though she might now be a target, she knew that Sammy was out of danger... for now, at least. 

"If they're going after us, they'll come back for you and Sailor Moon and me, right?" Mercury asked, and Sailor Jupiter nodded. "So we should always stick together. That way, they won't be able to attack again without facing all three of us at once. That gives us our best chance to beat them if they _do _decide to attack again."

"But... where should we go?" Sailor Jupiter asked.

"Well, Sailor Moon is the leader... Sailor Moon, it's your call," Mercury said, turning to Sailor Moon.

  
"Let's head to Darien's apartment and tell him about all of this," Sailor Moon said, her lips curling into a smile. "I haven't seen Darien since yesterday, and I'm sure he'll be able to think of something to do!"

__

"Serena!" thought Mercury and Jupiter exasperatingly, but neither of them vocalized their opinions. Instead, they followed Sailor Moon to Darien's apartment, completely unaware of the horror that had befallen him just minutes earlier.

---

"Well, this is it...."

Sammy had walked all the way to the Juuban Costume Shop, where he'd gotten his first two Masked Warrior costumes six months ago. The last one he'd had had disappeared, and now he was finally back to purchase another. He never thought he'd been coming back here, nor had he ever wanted to. But as he started to step inside the shop, a thought stopped him.

"Do I... really even need a costume?" Sammy said to himself, stepping back. "All of the bad guys seem to know practically everything about me anyway... plus, Ami and the other Senshi would know it was me... I don't have any reason to buy a costume. This time, if I'm going to protect Ami, I'm going to protect her as myself. Sammy."

"Hey, Sammy, what'cha up to?" said a voice from behind Sammy, causing him to jump up into the air. "Whoa, it's just me, Rick!"

  
Sammy turned around and saw his friend, as well as another one of his friends... Mika.

"Rick said that you guys got attacked in the arcade," Mika said worriedly. "Are you alright?"

  
Sammy nodded.

  
"Sailor Moon and the other Senshi saved the day, but... well..."

  
"What happened, Sammy?" Rick asked, a look of concern on his face. "Nothing happened to Ami, did it?"

Sammy shook his head.

  
"No, but Sailor Venus got kidnapped," Sammy said. "Now there are two missing Senshi! Sailor Mars AND Sailor Venus... that's why I came to the costume shop, to get a new costume so I could protect Ami. But... I don't really need a costume, now that everyone knows I'm the Masked Warrior..."

"Well, couldn't you get a new identity?" Rick asked.

"And I don't think this superhero thing is really a very good idea, Sammy," Mika said. "The Sailor Senshi are really tough... I mean, they can fight for themselves, right?"

  
"But... after Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, Sailor Mercury might be next!" Sammy said. "I just don't want Ami to get kidnapped again..."

"Uh, Sammy... Mika kinda didn't know about Ami being Sailor Mercury," Rick said, pointing to her.

Mika giggled.

  
"I won't tell... besides, I hardly ever see Ami, anyway!" Mika said, smiling. "Well, except on those double-dates that you and Ami go on with us... those are pretty fun!"

"I should _really _be careful talking about Sailor Mercury's identity," Sammy said. "But it looks like the bad guys already know it..."

  
Rick and Mika gasped.

"No way!" Rick shouted. "How the heck did they find out?"

"I don't know... they've got crazy evil powers, or something," Sammy replied. "Anyway, that's why I really, really want to help out Ami... but I don't even have my sword anymore. That disappeared too..."

"So... back to square one, then," Mika said. "Sammy, as long as I've known you, you've been a really, really determined person... I know you'll think of some way to help Ami! Just like you helped me when I got transformed into that monster a few years ago..."

"You still remember that?" Sammy asked. "Whoa.... thank you, Mika."

"You're welcome, Sammy," Mika said.

"Sammy, I'm sure you'll find some way to get back into the buttkicking business... and you'll be saving Ami again in no time!" Rick said.

  
"Hey, you guys... wanna head to the Winter Festival and help decorate again?" Sammy asked, trying to find an activity that would take his mind off of Ami, at least for a little while. "Mika, how's your ice sculpture going?"  
  
"It's great!" Mika said, smiling. "I just started it, and... a.... a.... achoo!"

Mika let out a loud sneeze, causing Sammy and Rick to jump back.

  
"Sorry," Mika said, sniffling. "I've still got a bit of a cold..."

---

Outside Darien's apartment, the three remaining Sailor Senshi had detransformed and were getting ready to consult Darien on what to do next. Serena knocked on the door.

"Hello, Darien?" Serena said in a warm tone. "Are you here?"

No answer.

"Knock again, Serena," Lita said. "Maybe he didn't hear you..."  
  
Serena knocked again, and again, she called out for Darien.

"Are you there, Darien? Please answer, it's really important," Serena said, beginning to get annoyed. "Where could he be? His classes are out for today, so he should be here. Maybe he's at my house or something... or maybe he's in the shower."

Serena tried the knob. It was unlocked, allowing Serena access to Darien's apartment. As Serena stepped inside, Ami and Lita followed her, a bit more cautious than Serena was.

"It's really rude to barge into someone's house, even your boyfriend's," Ami said politely. 

"Yeah, what if he really _is _in the shower?" Lita asked, her cheeks beginning to turn red. "You really don't want Darien to catch you seeing him naked, do you?"

"Oh, he's not in the shower," Serena said. "It's completely quiet in here... there's no one home...."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that!"

As the three girls gasped and turned toward the source of the voice, long, black, thread-like beams comprised of sparking black energy wrapped around the arms and chests of Ami and Lita, ensnaring the two girls and binding them together. Then, the two girls began to be lifted into the air as Serena screamed in shock. She looked up and saw Ceyra and Yeika, floating near the ceiling. Yeika was holding the energy threads that were binding Ami and Lita, while shouting orders to Ceyra.

  
"Okay, I've got the two Senshi! Distract the Moon Princess while I bring these two Jekelai!" Yeika shouted. As Ceyra nodded, Serena lifted her henshin stick into the air.

"Moon Crystal Power!" Serena shouted, immediately transforming into Sailor Moon. As Yeika tried to form an energy portal, Sailor Moon ran past Ceyra and leapt up, kicking Yeika hard in the back and causing her to drop the threads holding Ami and Lita. As the threads hit the ground, they disappeared, giving the two girls time to transform.

"Mercury Crystal Power!"  
  
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Crap hell damn!" Yeika shouted, punching a hole into the wall. "We were THIS close!"

"Don't worry, we can still get them!" Ceyra shouted, holding her hands in front of her, a few inches apart. In the space between her hands, she formed a large, purple ball of magical energy, which began to spin. "There we go..."

"Jupiter Thunder Axe!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, an axe of lightning appearing in her hand. "Take this!"

Sailor Jupiter slammed the blade of the axe across Ceyra's neck. But instead of decapitating the angel-winged girl, it created a huge field of lightning, shocking Ceyra and knocking her to the ground, where her now-burned body crackled and sparked with electricity. The purple energy ball that had been in her hands disappeared.

"Uhhh.... that hurt..." Ceyra groaned, rubbing her head. "Not fair..."

Ceyra's hand moved to her neck, where a tiny cut had appeared. Nothing severe, since the axe had mostly been comprised of energy.

"Mercury Ice Javelin!" Sailor Mercury shouted, trying to attack the fallen Ceyra as she stumbled to her feet. Several icy projectiles flew at Ceyra, who quickly had to form an energy shield to block them as they rushed at her. All except one hit the shield and shattered, while the one that hadn't shattered pierced the right side of the shield and flew by one of Ceyra's wings, narrowly shearing off a few feathers. As Ceyra looked to inspect the damage, she gasped in horror as she realized that her whole right wing had been frozen.

"What?" Ceyra gasped. "So cold..."  


"I guess you could say I winged her," Mercury said, trying to crack a joke. It was a skill that she'd learned from Sammy, but had never actually used in a serious occasion like a battle before. Still, the little chuckle she received from her friends made her feel better, at least for a moment. She pressed a button on her earring, causing her VR Visor to appear over her eyes. "Now I'd better scan her..."

"Nobody makes a joke out of my sister!" Yeika shouted, flying toward Sailor Mercury in a rage. Sailor Mercury, who was busy scanning Ceyra, barely had time to react before Yeika struck Sailor Mercury in the face with her forearm, sending her sprawling to the ground. Her visor flashed a 'CRITICAL ERROR' message before sparking, and then, ultimately, failing. A fairly large-sized crack in its left side had caused the damage.

  
"Sailor Mercury, are you okay?" shouted Moon and Jupiter. Mercury nodded.

"Mm-hmm, I'm fine," Mercury said, slowly standing up.

Ceyra growled, and then lit up with an aura of magical energy. The ice that had encased her wing shattered, and her entire body shined with a light blue glow.

"Now they're both mad," Sailor Jupiter said, gritting her teeth.   


"I'll make it a bit easier for us," Sailor Mercury said. "Mercury Bubbles... Blast!"

Sailor Mercury lifted into the air and emitted a large cloud of bubbles and mist outward from her body, filling the room with a cold, dense fog. Ceyra and Yeika struggled to see as Sailor Jupiter prepared another attack.

  
"Jupiter... Thundercloud... Zap!" shouted Sailor Jupiter, firing a large, twirling disk of lightning energy at the two girls. They shrieked as they were hit, and immediately, the mist in the room disappeared. Ceyra was the first to recover from the attack, still glowing blue as she had been doing before.

"I've had... enough of this... thunder and lightning..." Ceyra said, breathing heavily. "I HATE LIGHTNING, AND I HATE YOU!"

Ceyra lifted her arms, and instead of one ball of purple energy, five appeared. They spun in a circle over Ceyra's head, and the Senshi began to panic.

"Watch out!" Sailor Moon shrieked.

But it was too late. Ceyra threw the energy balls at Sailor Jupiter, and they began to spin around her as well. Then, they converged together and formed one large, purple energy ball. It engulfed Sailor Jupiter's body and began zapping her with large, purple bolts of lightning, causing her to scream in pain inside her purple energy prison.

"Stop it!" Sailor Mercury screamed. "Stop hurting her!"

  
"She's ours now!" Ceyra said. She nodded to Yeika, and then, the two of them disappeared, along with the purple energy ball that was containing Sailor Jupiter. She had disappeared as well, leaving Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars alone in Darien's now-ruined apartment.

"They've got Sailor Jupiter now..." Sailor Moon said, falling to her knees and hanging her head in despair. _"And... what about... Darien? Do they have him too?"_

---

"It's beautiful!" Sammy said, staring at the ice sculpture that Mika had already began to work on at the Winter Festival site in the park. So far, it consisted of only a head, with a large block of ice beneath it. Mika smiled.

"I only have the head and some of the hair done," Mika said, holding up her hammer and chisel that she used to craft the sculpture. "I've got today and tomorrow to finish up the body before the Festival starts."

"I'm sure it'll be a wonderful sculpture, Mika!" Rick said. "You'll always be my angel..."

"Oh, how sweet!" Mika said kindly, giving Rick a kiss on the cheek. She turned to Sammy and whispered in his ear. "He's always giving me compliments like that... I think he picks it up off of you and Ami."

"I don't give Ami _that _many compliments," Sammy whispered back. "She already knows most of what I tell her, anyway."

"That's true," Mika said.

  
"What's true?" Rick asked. 

"Oh, nothing!" Mika said, giggling slightly. "Nothing at all..."

"Hey, the sun's getting ready to set," Rick said, noticing the sun as it had nearly dipped below the horizon. The sky was getting darker and darker, though the snow had stopped falling. "Maybe we should head on home..."

"I'm going to stay and work on this statue a bit more," Mika said. "But you're both welcome to stay with me!"

"I'll stay," Rick said. "What about you, Sammy? We've decorated this place a little bit today, wanna decorate some more?"

"No.... I should probably start looking for Ami," Sammy said. He had left Ami probably an hour ago, and he was really starting to worry. _"I hope that Ami hasn't been attacked while I was away... I still don't have anyway to protect her... I just hope she's alright!"_

"Well, good luck, Sammy," Rick said.

"And stay safe," Mika replied. Rick nodded in agreement.

  
"I'll be alright," Sammy said, turning to wave goodbye to Rick and Mika as he left the clearing. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

---

"Well, _now _what do we do?" Sailor Moon shouted, standing outside Darien's apartment complex with Sailor Mercury. "They've got Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, and they probably have Darien too! We can't possibly catch them, we're-"

"Jekelai... Jekelai..." Sailor Mercury said, typing on her mini-computer. Although her VR Visor had been broken, her computer still worked, and Sailor Mercury thought that her computer may have information on the Senshi's new foes.

"What are you doing?" Sailor Moon asked. "Jekelai... that was the guy that those girls wanted to take you to, right? So he's their boss?"

Sailor Mercury nodded.

"Probably so," Mercury said, "which, if he is, is a big piece of information. If we can find out where Jekelai is, we can find the other Senshi... and maybe Darien as well."

"I hope so," Sailor Moon said, her eyes beginning to water. "Oh, Darien..."

---

Meanwhile, inside a dark and mysterious room somewhere inside the mysterious dimension that the abducted Senshi had been taken to, Ceyra and Yeika were telling Jekelai of their latest capture.

"There are two left now, are there not?" Jekelai asked.

  
"That's right, only two of them left! Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury!" Ceyra said giddily.

"Soon, only Sailor Moon will remain! And then we'll use her friends to-"

"Then why don't you attack NOW, before they can regroup?" Jekelai bellowed. "Capturing Sailor Mercury will be easy now that it's just her and Sailor Moon. Go back and bring the Senshi of Water to me, NOW!"

The two girls nodded meekly, and a vortex appeared behind them. They quickly jumped into it as Jekelai chuckled.

"Soon, all the Senshi will be mine... and then, I can claim the true prize..." Jekelai said deviously.

---

"Sailor Mercury!" Sammy shouted, running toward Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury as they began to walk down the street, away from Darien's apartment. Sailor Mercury ran over to Sammy and took his hands in her own.

"Sammy, listen..." Sailor Mercury said, her voice extremely serious. Sammy's happiness at seeing his beloved Ami unharmed quickly turned to uneasiness, as Sailor Mercury's solemn tone had worried him.

"Ami, what's wrong?" Sammy said quietly. "Sailor Jupiter's not here... has she been..."

"Yes, she's been taken," Sailor Mercury said, looking directly into Sammy's eyes. "Listen... I won't lie to you. Right now, the Sailor Senshi are facing the biggest threat that they've faced since the battles against the Darkspawn... and I might be their next target. Your sister and I are the last Senshi left, Sammy."

"What about Sailor Uranus and Neptune?" Sammy asked, remembering the stories of past adventures that Ami had told him. "Surely they-"  
  
"The Outer Senshi aren't around anymore," Sailor Moon said solemnly, walking over to Sammy. "I don't know where they are, but they're not here... not now. So, like Ami said... we're the last two Senshi left."

"What about Darien?" Sammy asked. Mercury shook her head.

"We believe he may have been abducted as well," Mercury said. "I-"

But as Mercury continued speaking to Sammy, a long black thread extended toward her body, quickly wrapping her arms around her chest like it had done before. Sammy let out a loud scream of surprise, as Sailor Mercury's hands were ripped away from his own. As she was rapidly lifted up into the air, he leapt up as high as he could and grabbed one of her ankles, gripping it with both of his hands and refusing to let go, even as he and Sailor Mercury were pulled toward a large, swirling black vortex, spinning just above their heads.

  
"SAMMY, NO!" Sailor Moon screamed.

  
"Sammy, please let go!" Sailor Mercury screamed desperately. As she and Sammy were pulled up, toward the vortex, thoughts began rapidly racing through her head. _"No... Sammy's going to be dragged into my troubles again... and it's all my fault... Sammy's going to get hurt because of me..."_

"I'll never let go, Ami!" Sammy shouted, tears streaming down his face. "I LOVE YOU!!!"  


And that was the last thing that Sailor Moon heard before the vortex snapped shut. Sailor Mercury and her brother were both gone, heartlessly abducted right before her very eyes. She collapsed to the ground again. Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus... her four best friends... her brother Sammy... and her lover Darien, all gone. Serena Tsukino had never felt such despair...

---

And that's it! That's the end.... OF THIS CHAPTER! ^_^ Mwahahaha, cliffie... ah, I love it. And now I must get a ton of reviews, or I'll never, ever write the next chapter! *has Chapter 4 tied to the traintracks, like Snidley Whiplash* Mwahhahaha... okay, enough of the evil authornesh. Chappie 4 is coming soon, probably on Friday night. ^_^ But pwease review anyway, m'kay?


	4. The Darkness Begins To Emerge

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: 

Saberpilot- Sorry about the evil cliffhanger... ^_^ And yeah, school's hard... don't worry, just review whenever you have time! I should really start reviewing yours too...

Happygolucky111- Okay, okay, I'm updating! Hee... glad you liked it!

Gracedangel1854- Okay, here's the update! Thanks for reviewing!

Aqua Rhapsody- I was convinced to write a sequel by my reviewers... hope it's working so far!

Jster1983- Golden Masked Warrior? Well, maybe... or you might be surprised. ^_^

--- 

The first thing that Sammy saw when he came to was a large, plexiglass wall in front of him. As he turned around, he saw two more walls on each side of him, and another behind him... as well as something else. It was Sailor Mercury... Ami. She was lying on the floor of the small, rectangular prison that she and Sammy were in, unconscious. Sammy didn't have enough room inside his plexiglass prison to kneel down and wake her without potentially hurting her, but he knew that he had to wake her somehow. So slowly, gently, he kneeled down on the hard, plastic floor of the capsule, his knees barely able to squeeze away from Mercury's legs, which was important, because Sammy didn't want to crush her beneath his own weight. 

"This thing was clearly built for one," Sammy said. As he began to try and wake Sailor Mercury, he briefly looked outside his plexiglass prison. There, he could see three capsules, lined up in a row beside his own. Inside the capsules were Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Venus. Their eyes were open, blinking every few seconds. "They've already woken up... but they're in bad shape..."

Their arms had been chained above their heads, apparently to the ceilings of the capsules that they were in. Their capsules were also filled with a clear liquid that Sammy assumed to be water. Oxygen masks had been placed over their noses and mouths so that they could breathe even while submerged inside the liquid. As Sammy turned his head toward them, they turned back toward Sammy.

"Sammy?" said Sailor Jupiter, who sounded quite surprised to be seeing Sammy. Sammy looked up and saw several tiny holes in the ceiling of the capsule.

"Their masks must have been hooked up to speakers," Sammy observed. "But... why would the bad guys want the Senshi to be able to communicate with one another? That's weird..."

"Sammy, is Ami alright?" Sailor Mars asked in a concerned tone. "And what are you doing here?"

"Ami's fine!" Sammy said. "And I'm here because... well, I sorta followed her here..."

No answer. Sammy began to speak again.

  
"Sammy, are you okay in there?" Sailor Venus asked. "You haven't said anything..."

"Guys, I don't think we'll be able to hear Sammy," Sailor Jupiter said. "He's not hooked up to the radio system here... but I'm sure he's fine... at least, I hope so..."

"Unnh..." Sailor Mercury groaned, beginning to rub her head. "Sammy... are you... okay?"

"Ami!" Sammy said, wrapping his arms around Sailor Mercury and hugging her as tightly as he could. "Oh my gosh... Ami, are you okay?"  
  
"Sammy, you shouldn't have come here," Mercury replied. "It's... it's dangerous... it's..."

  
Tears began to form in Sailor Mercury's eyes. Sammy's face took on a look of concern. 

"Oh, thank you, Sammy..." Mercury sobbed, her arms tightening around Sammy's chest. "Sammy, thank you for... for... Sammy, please, you have to find some way out of here..."

"It's alright, Ami, I'm here now..." Sammy said, trying to comfort his crying lover as best as he could. "Ami, I promise, I won't let anything happen to-"

  
At that moment, two large, metallic clamps dropped down from the ceiling. Sammy gasped and tightened his grip around Sailor Mercury's chest, refusing to let go.

"Fight it, Ami!" shouted Sailor Jupiter.   
  
"I won't let them take you, Ami!" Sammy shouted, even as the clamps forced their way around Sammy's grip and locked around Sailor Mercury's arms. "No, no!"

Sammy cried out in despair as the clamps lifted Sailor Mercury up to the ceiling and clasped her arms together, leaving her chained and dangling from the top of the capsule.

  
"Let her go, you bastards!" Sammy shouted, pounding on the inside of the capsule. "Let her go!!!"

As Sammy continued to pound on the capsule's walls, a clear, thick liquid began to pour from the ceiling like a sprinkler, quickly beginning to fill the capsule. The water seeped up, above Sammy's feet and ankles, and up to his stomach, before beginning to rise up over Sailor Mercury's feet as well.

  
"Sammy, you have to get out of here!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "They're only planning to keep me alive, if you're in here when the capsule fills up, you'll drown!"

The last few words of Sailor Mercury's shouting came from the speaker on the ceiling of the capsule, as the oxygen mask was lifted up onto her face. The liquid substance rose over Sammy's chest, and then his neck.

"SAMMY!" screamed Sailor Mercury. "You've got to find some way to escape!"  


The other Senshi began yelling as well, but it was no use. But just as the liquid was about to seep over Sammy's face, surely drowning him... the liquid stopped rising, leaving Sammy's head just above water, and covering Sailor Mercury up to her waist. As the liquid stopped, several very audible sighs of relief sounded over the speaker, the loudest coming from Sailor Mercury, as rivers of tears streamed down her face, joining the clear liquid below. But just as Sammy and Ami were beginning to rest easy, another voice blared through the capsule's speaker... a male voice. Jekelai's voice.

"Who is that? You're not a Sailor Senshi," said Jekelai. 

"I'm Sammy Tsukino," Sammy said, with a look of rage on his face. "I love Ami, and you'd better let her go right now."

__

"Sammy, you shouldn't... wait, this person already knows who I am," Sailor Mercury thought as she began to scold Sammy for revealing her identity. "Sammy, be careful..."

"Ah, you're Sailor Moon's little brother... the one that we sent Nevin to kill," Jekelai said. "It would be so easy to flood that capsule and kill you right now, Sammy Tsukino... I'd do it in front of your sister, but killing the Senshi in front of her will be more than enough. Including your precious Ami Mizuno."

As soon as Jekelai had said he'd kill Ami, an incredible amount of rage surged through Sammy's body. He clenched his teeth and his fists, and then, raised both of his arms up out of the water and began pounding the plexiglass wall of the capsule with them. After several tries, one of Sammy's poundings finally did something... a loud cracking noise was heard, as a large, spider web-like crack in the capsule materialized. Sammy immediately stopped pounding the wall as gasped. Sailor Mercury gasped as well.

"I did... that?" Sammy said, bewildered by what he had done. "I don't... believe it..."  


"Interesting," said Jekelai's voice over the speaker. "Perhaps our previous conjectures were wrong..."

__

"Previous conjectures?" thought Sailor Mercury, shaking her head in bewilderment. _"What on Earth is he talking about?"_

Suddenly, the walls of Sammy and Sailor Mercury's capsule began to lower, into the floor. As they descended past the level of the fluid, it spilled out, over the capsule walls and onto the floor. Finally, the walls had descended all the way, freeing Sammy, whose dark blue sweatshirt, shoes, socks, and blue jeans were now drenched. He took one step, past the fallen capsule walls. As soon as he did, the walls rose back up again with incredible speed, trapping Sailor Mercury inside. Sammy turned around and immediately began pounding on the walls, trying to free her, but it was in vain. 

"Sammy?" came Sailor Mercury's voice, this time from the ceiling of the room. As Sammy looked up toward the ceiling, he also took time to look around the room that he was apparently in. The four capsules containing the Senshi were all up against the back wall, and they and Sammy appeared to be at the top of a wide platform. About twelve feet in front of Sammy were large, wide stairs leading down, five in all. Sammy was standing on what appeared to be a carpeted black surface, although the carpet beneath him had been soaked quite thoroughly. He looked around the rest of the room and saw luxurious walls and ceilings, a mixture of black and gold. The room was dimly lit, except for the platform that Sammy was on, which appeared to be lit up by large, bright spotlights, coming from the ceiling.

"This place is a palace," Sammy said, turning back toward Sailor Mercury's capsule. He knew he couldn't speak directly to her, so he tried to slowly lip-synch words to her... the first three being 'I love you'.

"I love you too, Sammy," Sailor Mercury replied, causing Sammy to smile. "Sammy, you have to try to escape... we'll be alright, I promise..."

"Oh, there is no escaping this place."

Sammy turned around and saw the tall, blonde form of Jekelai, standing at the foot of the wide, carpeted stairs. Jekelai's cape settled menacingly behind him. 

"You're the reason Ami's trapped here... it's your fault that all of these horrible things have been happening!" shouted Sammy. Jekelai smiled proudly.

"That is correct," Jekelai said. "Although I wouldn't call them horrible... I'd call them progress. Sammy, would you like to know why I've brought you here? Furthermore, would you like to know what your role may be in this entire process? If my hunch is correct... you could be the most important person in the world right now... or maybe even the universe."

"Cut the crap," Sammy said. "Let Ami go right now, or I'll tear you into pieces."

Inside her capsule, Sailor Mercury began to tremble nervously.

__

"Sammy, don't make him mad..." Mercury thought, starting to struggle against the chains that held her wrists. _"Don't make him hurt you, Sammy... I don't want to see you die..."_

"Let me tell you a story," Jekelai said. "My name is Jekelai, and I am the leader of a group known as the Pale Mercenaries. There is one object in the universe that my employer and I currently desire more than anything else."

---

Back on the dark, lonely streets of Tokyo, Sailor Moon continued to weep. Her friends, her brother, and her lover were all gone, and in grave danger...

"I failed all of you guys..." Sailor Moon sobbed. "It's my fault..."

"Darn right it is!" 

"You're pathetic."

  
Sailor Moon turned around. There, hovering in the air and staring at her with cocky smiles on their faces were Ceyra and Yeika, their arms crossed in front of them.

"Should we do this here, or inside the portal?" Ceyra asked.

  
"Eh... in the portal," Yeika said. "We've gotta let her see her friends, first. Otherwise, this whole thing won't work."  


"Well, alright, we'll let her come in," Ceyra said. "We already let her friends in."

  
"LET THEM GO RIGHT NOW!" Sailor Moon shouted, pointing her henshin stick at the two evil girls. "I'm warning you, I'll-"

"Aww, she's warning us!" Ceyra said, chuckling. "Isn't that sweet?"

"If you want your friends back, you'll have to come and get them!" Yeika shouted. "But be warned... once you come in, you'll never come back out!"

  
The two girls cackled evilly as they dived into the portal, leaving it open for Sailor Moon to follow them. With a look of determination on her face, Sailor Moon dived into the portal, and it snapped shut behind her.

---

"An object?" Sammy asked. "What's the object? Tell me!"

"Sammy, we are currently looking to procure a relic known as... the Dark Crystal," Jekelai said. "Not the most original name in the world, I'll admit, but it's simple and to the point."

"The... Dark Crystal?" Sammy said. _"What the heck is a Dark Crystal? Does he think that _I _have it? Because I don't..."_

As Jekelai talked to Sammy, the other Senshi nervously looked on, unable to hear a word of what Sammy and Jekelai were talking about. 

"What's going on?" Sailor Mars asked, her voice sounding not only in the Senshi's capsules, but outside in the room as well.

"You see, that's why I hooked up the speakers to allow them to communicate with one another," Jekelai said. "Anything they say, I can hear as well. And even if they do decide to plan something against me... I can just do this."

Jekelai pointed toward the capsules where the Senshi were imprisoned. As soon as Sammy turned toward them, the liquid in the capsules began bubbling and steaming, as it heated up to incredibly hot temperatures. The four Senshi began to scream.

"He's going to boil us alive!" Sailor Mercury shrieked in horror. Sammy turned toward Jekelai, growling in anger.

"STOP HURTING THEM, YOU SICK BASTARD!!!" Sammy shouted, running at Jekelai and punching him in the side of his face with all of his strength. Jekelai's head turned to the side from Sammy's blow, but quickly turned back toward Sammy. A smile was on Jekelai's lips. Sammy's punch had caused no damage whatsoever to Jekelai. The boiling water inside the Senshi's capsules returned to normal temperature, and Sammy's anger subsided, albeit only slightly. "Don't... you... EVER... do that... again."

  
"And what's going to stop me?" Jekelai asked. The liquid inside the Senshi's capsules began to spark with electricity, causing the Senshi to scream again as thousands of volts of electricity surged through their bodies. Sammy let out a cry of rage and unleashed a flurry of punches to Jekelai's chest, until his fists could no longer take the pain, and Sammy let his arms drop. The electrical attack on the Senshi stopped, and Sammy ran over to Sailor Mercury's capsule, tears streaming down his face. She looked mostly unharmed, except for a few rips in her costume and some slight burns on her skin. The other Senshi were in similar condition.

"Ami... I can't stop him from hurting you..." Sammy sobbed, leaning up against the plexiglass frame of the capsule. "I'm so sorry..."

"That's right, Sammy... cry, cry your eyes out," Jekelai said, slowly walking up the stairs to approach Sammy. Though Sammy must have punched him several dozen times, Jekelai was completely unharmed, Sammy's assault having caused not even the slightest sensation of pain. "It's your fault."

Sammy turned around, his face turning a deep shade of crimson. He clenched his fists again, completely ignoring the pain that was surging through his hands.

"I won't... tell you... again..." Sammy said, slowly walking toward Jekelai, his rage growing with each step. "Let... Ami... GO!"

"Fine then, I will let her go," Jekelai said. "Three Senshi are more than enough to torment Sailor Moon with. I'll let Sailor Mercury go... straight to the depths of Hell!"

Jekelai lifted his arm into the air. At that instant, the liquid within Sailor Mercury's capsule began to freeze, its temperature dropping to chilling levels. Finally, all of the liquid had turned to ice, encasing Sailor Mercury in a frigid tomb. Her eyes remained open, and a look of pain and terror crossed her face.

  
"SAMMY!" Mercury shouted from within the deadly casket of ice, her loud scream broadcast through the entire room. The other three Senshi, who were not frozen, began to scream for her as well.

"Stop it, you sick creep!" Sailor Jupiter shouted.

"You're going to kill her!" Sailor Venus yelled.

  
"Please, don't hurt Ami anymore!" Sailor Mars pleaded desperately. As Mercury's screams echoed throughout the room, Sammy fell to his knees. His anger, it seemed, had disappeared completely. It had been replaced with despair, as he kneeled trembling on the floor, his tears falling beneath him. 

"It's quite a fitting death for her, really," Jekelai said coldly. "Live by ice, die by ice. Beautiful in its irony."

Sammy slowly stood up from the floor, anger returning to him. His thoughts of 'rescue Ami' had quickly turned to 'kill Jekelai', and as anger and despair mixed within his body, something that had been lying dormant, silently waiting inside of his body, had finally begun to manifest itself. He unclenched his fists and opened his hands wide, holding them out to his sides as he stood up. A wisp of black energy began to encircle his right hand. Jekelai watched Sammy curiously, as if he knew what was going to happen next.

"That's it," Jekelai whispered. "Make your presence felt at last..."

__

"What's going on...." Sailor Mercury thought, her consciousness slowly beginning to fade from inside her icy tomb. _"What's he done to you, Sammy..."_

And then, out of nowhere, a blade appeared. Its hilt appeared first, and Sammy's fingers gripped around it. Then, a long, curved blade, extending from the hilt with an aura of black energy glowing around it. As the blade appeared, Jekelai's satisfaction gave way to confusion, and then, for the first time, a speck of fear.

"The sword... where did that sword come from?" Jekelai said quietly. _"This was not supposed to happen..."_

"That's... Alexis' sword... the one that I used to defeat Lazuli," Sailor Mercury thought, her spirits suddenly starting to return, even as the incredible cold gripped her body. _"It's back..."_

The glow around Sammy's hand ceased. He held the sword out in front of him, but as his eyes scanned the blade, even he became a bit surprised.

"The... sword?" Sammy said. "I thought I lost it in the void!"

"This is unexpected," Jekelai said. He waved his arm, and the ice encasing Sailor Mercury quickly receded. Her body slowly began to warm, and Sammy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ami!" Sammy shouted happily. _"Thank goodness that the ice is gone... oh, Ami, I thought I'd lost you..."_

"I'm alright now, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said. "I'm sorry I scared you..."

Sammy turned back toward Jekelai. 

"Well, Sammy," Jekelai said, floating backward, off of the platform and onto the level floor behind him. "I never would have thought that you'd get your sword back... I expected a different reaction. Still, now I know for certain what I've suspected to be true. The Dark Crystal resides within you, Sammy."

"I don't care about any Dark Crystal," Sammy said, stepping down from the platform and stopping several feet away from Jekelai, looking straight at his face with renewed determination. "Now that I've got my sword, you're going to pay for everything you've done to Ami and my friends."

"You naive child," Jekelai said. His cape began flowing behind him as he gathered magical energy into his body, which made him light up with a golden-white aura. "I am in no mood to play games with you..."

Seemingly unfazed by Jekelai's power, Sammy rushed him, sword in hand. It turned out to be a huge mistake, as Jekelai pointed his arm out toward Sammy, blasting him back with incredible force. He slammed onto the ground, nearly passing out as the back of his head slammed against the floor. Though it was carpeted, the carpet was hard, and felt like cement as his head and back slammed against it.

__

"Oh my gosh, no..." Sailor Mercury thought, worry quickly overtaking her. She'd never felt a power like she'd just felt from Jekelai... not from Queen Beryl, or the Doom Phantom, or Alexis, or Scion, or even Lazuli... against a power like Jekelai's, Sammy didn't stand a chance.

---

Sailor Moon appeared in the middle of a narrow corridor, the walls neatly decorated with various portraits, and the floor covered in dark black carpeting. She quickly decided which way to go, and dashed down the corridors, turning right or left according to her instincts. She was going to follow her heart to get to the ones she loved...

"I have to find them... have to save them... have to help them..." Sailor Moon kept saying to herself as she dashed down the halls. Finally, at the end of one of the halls, was a large, bright, golden ballroom, with a chandelier that glistened as the many lights in the room shined on it. Hanging from the chandelier, with thin, glowing black energy strands tied around his wrists, was Darien. His hat and mask had been removed, but he still wore the suit from his Tuxedo Mask costume. As Sailor Moon rushed into the room and saw him, her lips curved into a smile.

"Darien, I'm so glad to see you... are you alright?" she shouted.

  
"I'm fine, but you have to get out of here, Sailor Moon!" Darien yelled back. "It's a trap!"

"That's right!" said Ceyra, crashing into the ballroom through a window that was near the ceiling..

  
"I see you've found our new boytoy," said Yeika, crashing into the room from the other side. "You won't get him back, though!"

"We'll see about that!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Don't worry, Darien... I'll get you down from there..."

  
Ceyra and Yeika leapt toward Sailor Moon, ready to strike. Ceyra fired a flurry of feathers at the Moon Senshi, while Yeika fired off a large blast of dark energy. The attacks came quicker than Sailor Moon was ready for them. She managed to dodge most of the feathers, but several of them still struck her. One of them pierced her in her side, causing her to cry out in pain.

  
"Serena, look out!" Darien shouted as Yeika's large blast barreled toward Sailor Moon. 

"Ow... ow... ow..." Sailor Moon said quietly, pulling the feather from her side. "Got it!"

The blast slammed into Sailor Moon just as she'd finished removing the feather, creating a large explosion. Yeika pumped her fists victoriously.

"Alright, we got her!" Yeika shouted. But as the smoke subsided, Sailor Moon was nowhere to be found. 

"Serena, where are you..." Darien said, a look of worry beginning to cross his face. Ceyra peered into the smoky mist that remained from Yeika's blast, but she still hadn't spotted Sailor Moon. "Yeika, did you blast her into oblivion or something?"

"Of course I did," Yeika said, a smile on her face. "Wait... that's bad! We want her alive for Jekelai! Uh oh, he's not gonna like-"

"I'm right here!" Sailor Moon shouted. Ceyra and Yeika turned around, only to be met with a large blast of magical energy from Sailor Moon's henshin stick, sending them both flying backward.

"That's the way!" Sailor Moon shouted, striking her familiar pose. Ceyra and Yeika landed on their feet on the other side of the room, standing next to each other.

"That does it, Ceyra... let's put her out right now!"

"Just what I was thinking!" Ceyra replied, beginning to glow with a bright blue aura. Yeika, in turn, began to glow bright red. Sailor Moon recoiled slightly, knowing that the girls were far more powerful when they were glowing.

"Watch out, Sailor Moon!" Darien shouted.

  
"I know what I'm doing," Sailor Moon said, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"I don't think you do!" Ceyra yelled. She formed five purple energy balls in her hands and tossed them at Sailor Moon. They coalesced around her and formed into a large, spherical energy prison, which immediately began shocking Sailor Moon with powerful purple bolts of lightning.

"I... won't... stop!" Sailor Moon shouted, her body coursing with pain. 

"Let's see you say that after I do this!" Yeika shouted angrily. She somersaulted above Sailor Moon, crashed through the energy prison, and tackled her with incredible velocity, slamming to the ground and throwing up a huge cloud of smoke and dust, along with a large explosion of energy.

"NO!" Darien shouted. "Serena, no!"

---

Sammy ran at Jekelai again, sword in hand. This time, Jekelai didn't bother attacking Sammy. As Sammy slashed at him, Jekelai simply disappeared, reappearing behind Sammy and knocking him to the ground with another blast of energy.

"You pathetic fool, get up!" Jekelai shouted, kicking Sammy in the ribs and causing him to roll onto his face. "Don't tell me you're going to fail Ami now, after she trusts you to rescue her."

"Shut up..." Sammy said, standing up and pointing his sword at Jekelai. "You're going to pay for everything you've done... all the pain you've caused... you won't hurt Ami again!"

"Oh, just give it a rest," Jekelai said, pointing his arm at Sammy. Before Sammy could even think, the sword was ripped from his hand and sent flying across the room, skidding across the floor and coming to a stop near the large, red door that was the entrance of the room. As Sammy ran to try and retrieve his sword, Jekelai clenched his fist, and Sammy was rapidly lifted into the air, almost ten feet off of the ground. Sammy tried to move, but though he could thrash about in the air quite easily, he was still stuck in that spot, floating helplessly. 

"What did you do to him?" Sailor Mercury shouted.

"Put him down right now!" Sailor Jupiter yelled.

"I think I'll leave him as he is," Jekelai said. "I'm going to extract the Dark Crystal from him now."

  
Sammy's eyes widened.

"I told you, I don't HAVE the Dark Crystal!" Sammy shouted. 

"We'll see," Jekelai said with a smirk.

---

"She's not dead, is she?" Ceyra said, looking into the cloud of smoke created by Yeika's attack. Yeika leapt out of the smoke and smiled.

"Not dead, but unconscious, definitely," Yeika said. "I saw her with my own eyes."

__

"Serena..." thought Darien, helplessly peering into the smoky crater. 

"Well, that's it then," Ceyra said. "Let's take her to Jekelai..."

Suddenly, a huge flash of light emerged from the crater, causing all of the smoke around it to disappear. Sailor Moon leapt up out of the crater, her henshin stick glowing with energy. Ceyra and Yeika gasped.

"It's time to banish you forever!" Sailor Moon shouted, lifting her henshin stick. "Moon... Blessed... Salvation!"

Ceyra and Yeika could only stare as several waves of magical energy floated out from the henshin stick and washed over them, creating a bright mist comprised from magical specks of energy. 

"You did it, Sailor Moon," Darien said. "You... got them."

"But why aren't the strands around your arms disappearing?" Sailor Moon asked, looking up toward the chandelier where Darien was still left dangling.

"Because we're not dead!" Ceyra shouted, slowly climbing to her feet as the magical mist disappeared. "We're just as resilient as you, Sailor Moon!"

"No way..." Sailor Moon said, seeing Yeika stand up as well. The two girls began to glow.

  
"And now... we'll show you... our true form!" Yeika shouted. She turned toward Ceyra. "Ready to reunite again?"  
  
"After being separated for so long?" Ceyra said. "I dunno.... well, okay!"

"That's the spirit!" Yeika shouted. "Let's do this!"

A bright, purple glow engulfed the two girls. Their separate forms began to merge into one, as Sailor Moon and Darien were blinded by the bright glow.

"What's going on?" Sailor Moon shouted.

"This isn't good... be on your guard, Sailor Moon!" Darien said. The glow melted away, and in its place was a tall, winged woman, shining with a bright purple glow. Her left wing resembled that of a devil, while her right wing resembled that of an angel. Her hair was still long and black, but instead of her normal golden dress, she wore a stunning red gown. 

"My true form... Ceyazaka!" shouted the woman. "So, Sailor Moon, are you scared yet?"

"What's with the wings?" Sailor Moon said, pointing at them. "I mean, I know that one of you was an angel and one of you was a devil, but those wings still look really weird..."

  
"I'm kinda caught between the good-girl, bad-girl thing, okay?" said Ceyazaka, giggling slightly at her joke. She stopped giggling. "Now, I'll destroy you, Sailor Moon!"

---

"So you're just going to... take the crystal?" Sammy said, growling at Jekelai through clenched teeth.

"My dear Sammy, extraction isn't just a matter of pulling the crystal out of you... it's more of an internal process, Sammy," Jekelai said, causing Sammy to make a confused face. "You'll be the one making the crystal come out."

Jekelai waved his arm, and Sammy flew back toward the wall, slamming into it with a large amount of force and sliding to the floor, next to his sword. He collapsed onto the ground and gripped the hilt of the sword weakly, struggling to stand as Jekelai walked toward him.

"Have you looked at her, Sammy? Ami's crying... even as she is submerged in liquid, she's still able to cry... you can see her tears quite nicely, I assure you of that," Jekelai said. As Sammy looked across the room at Sailor Mercury, he gasped. Jekelai was right. Whatever liquid Jekelai had submerged Ami in, it separated her tears from the rest of the liquid, showing them clearly. He looked over at the other Senshi. A single tear was falling down Sailor Mars' face, and Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus appeared to be despairing for Sammy as well. He looked up toward Jekelai again.

"You were going to show them to my sister, weren't you?" Sammy asked. Whatever Jekelai was doing to Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina, he was planning to show it off to Sammy's sister, Sailor Moon. Now Sammy was beginning to understand how Jekelai was planning to extract the crystal.

"Negative emotions, Sammy... let's see how many you can show me," Jekelai said. More screams could be heard from the ceiling speaker, and when Sammy looked at Sailor Mercury's capsule again, his rage flared up. Huge bolts of dark energy lightning were sparking around it, and it was clear that she was being shocked quite severely, from her extremely pained expression. 

"Ami...."

"Is that all you can say, Sammy?" Jekelai shouted. "Just her name? No anger? No hatred? Nothing to tell me?"

"AMI!!!" Sammy screamed at the top of his lungs. At last, it seemed that Ami could hear him. Her head lifted up, and even though she now had an immense amount of pain coursing through her body, she still had enough energy left to say three words...

"I love you..." Sailor Mercury said weakly, before her head finally bowed, and she appeared to pass out. That was all the motivation Sammy needed. He lunged at Jekelai and slashed once at his face, then quickly ran around him toward the capsule imprisoning his lover. Jekelai turned around, but did not move to stop Sammy. He lifted his hand up to his face and felt a tiny cut that had appeared on his cheek. 

"I guess today will not be the day," Jekelai said. "And I desire so much to kill him now... but my employer would not be pleased. But at least I know that he possesses the crystal..."

  
With incredible strength, Sammy slammed the blade of his katana into Sailor Mercury's capsule, shattering the glass instantly and sending a huge amount of liquid spilling out. The dark lightning that had been shocking Sailor Mercury disappeared, but not before giving Sammy a large jolt that caused him to collapse to the ground. Jekelai had seen enough. He waved his arm, and a small portal appeared, which he walked through, exiting the room. As he did, another spark from the lightning hit the shackles binding Sailor Mercury's arms, freeing her and causing her to collapse on top of Sammy's unconscious form, groaning weakly. The oxygen mask that she had been wearing receded back through the top of the capsule.

---

"Take this!" Ceyazaka shouted, tossing several large balls of purple energy. Sailor Moon was hit by them all, sending her flying back into the wall of the room. She recovered quickly, but was tackling back into the wall by Ceyazaka, who scratched her sharp fingernails roughly across Sailor Moon's face, scratching her cheek in three places. Sailor Moon replied by firing a blast of magical energy from her henshin stick, knocking Ceyazaka away.

"I've beaten you when you were two people, and I can beat you now that you're just one!" Sailor Moon declared. "You're not stronger just because you're a merged being!"

  
"That's not true," Ceyazaka replied. "I'm a hundred times stronger!"

Ceyazaka was suddenly holding two large feathers, one in each hand. She swung the feathers at Sailor Moon, sending out a strong blast of wind that pushed Sailor Moon back into the wall again, pressing her up against it.

"How do you like my Super Gale Attack?" Ceyazaka said. "I think it's quite a rush, don't you?"  
  
Sailor Moon screamed as the wind pressed against her, crushing her beneath its powerful force.

"How... can wind be... so powerful?" Sailor Moon shouted over the howl of the large breeze. Ceyazaka held up her arms, and her two feathers transformed into large, burning torches. The wind stopped, and Sailor Moon slid down against the wall, breathing heavily.

"Time to get this party blazin'!" Ceyazaka shouted. She pointed the flaming torches at Sailor Moon. "Devil's Flame!"

A huge, whirling torrent of fire slammed against Sailor Moon, pressing her against the wall a second time. The flames scorched and singed her, and again, she cried out in pain.

"What's the matter?" Ceyazaka asked. "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

The flames stopped, and the burned and singed form of Sailor Moon collapsed to the ground. 

"Can't.... go on..." Sailor Moon groaned, coughing up smoke. Ceyazaka landed next to her, giggling.

"Well, guess I'd better stop and take you to Jekelai now," Ceyazaka said. "Or maybe I'll just try to extract the Dark Crystal here..."  
  
Ceyazaka casually walked over to Darien and slapped him hard across the face.

"Stop it!" Sailor Moon shouted weakly. "Stop hurting him..."

"Make me, Sailor Moon," Ceyazaka said. "Show me the crystal of darkness! Show me NOW!"

But instead of darkness, Sailor Moon was engulfed by a bright aura of light. She slowly rose to her feet, her henshin stick held out in front of her. Ceyazaka looked on in stunned silence.

"I am guided by the light... never by darkness," Sailor Moon said. Her henshin stick transformed, taking on the shape of a sword... the Sword of the Moon.

"What... what is that?" Ceyazaka shouted. "You're not supposed to have a swo-"

Sailor Moon leapt at Ceyazaka and slashed her repeatedly, not stopping until she had slashed exactly a hundred times. Ceyazaka did not move, not even once. After the attack on Ceyazaka, Sailor Moon leapt up and cut the strands holding Darien, freeing him from the chandelier. She caught him before he hit the ground, set him down, and then fell to one knee. Meanwhile, Ceyazaka fell as well... slashed into a hundred pieces by Sailor Moon's attack. The pieces hit the ground and disintegrated, until Ceyazaka was no more.

"That's the way, Serena," Darien said, smiling at Sailor Moon and helping her to her feet. Then, Serena and Darien kissed deeply.

---

"Sammy..." Sailor Mercury said, stroking the hair back from Sammy's forehead. "Sammy, wake up..."

As Sailor Mercury tried to revive Sammy, the capsules that were encasing Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus fell back into the floor, and the shackles disappeared, freeing the three Senshi from their watery prisons. They ran out to Sailor Mercury and Sammy, looking on in concern.

"Will he be okay?" Sailor Venus asked, looking around. "Looks like Jekelai got scared off..."

"Sammy... please wake up," Sailor Mercury sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "Please..."

Finally, Sammy's eyes began to blink open. He looked into Sailor Mercury's eyes and smiled.

"Is... is he gone?" Sammy asked. "Did we... did we win?"

"He escaped," Sailor Mercury said. "But... you're okay... and we're all okay... so yes, Sammy... we won."

"I'm glad you're alright, Ami," Sammy said. "I was really worried about you..."

  
"You saved my life again, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said. "You saved all of our lives..."

  
"You were great, Sammy," Sailor Jupiter said.

  
"You never, ever gave up..." said Sailor Mars. "Just like the old days."

Sammy slowly began to get up, and Sailor Mercury stood up as well. Sammy set his sword down on the ground and embraced Sailor Mercury tightly, never wanting to let go.

"Ami... I'm sorry I worried you so much," Sammy said. "I love you... I don't want to lose you like I almost did six months ago..."

"I almost lost you, Sammy," Sailor Mercury replied. "But... I don't want to think about that anymore... I just... I just want to be with you, always..."

"No matter what it takes, I promise, we'll always be together," Sammy said. Sailor Mercury smiled warmly at Sammy, and as she did, Sammy felt happiness like he hadn't felt in such a long time... Ami always had the perfect smile, and it could always brighten Sammy's day. The two leaned their lips toward one another, and then kissed, transferring their love through their lips as they had done so often in the past. Sailor Moon and Darien ran into the room as the two were still kissing, seven seconds later. They finally stopped and turned around as Sailor Moon and Darien ran toward them.

"Sailor Moon!" shouted Sammy and the four Senshi, their spirits lifted by the presence of their leader. Sammy was the first to get to Sailor Moon, and he hugged his sister tightly as soon as he was within reach.

"Sammy, you guys... I was so worried!" Sailor Moon said. "You don't know how happy I am to see you all..."  
  
"I'm glad to see you too, big sis," Sammy said. "It got really crazy in here..."

Suddenly, the room began to shake, and the walls began to crumble and crack. The Senshi, Sammy, and Darien gasped.

"What's going on?" Sammy shouted.

  
"When Jekelai teleported away, this place became unstable... and from the rippling and waving in the air, it appears to be a pocket dimension!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "Jekelai created it simply to imprison us... this isn't his headquarters!"

  
"We've got to get out of here!" Sammy said, grabbing his sword.

  
"Leave it to me!" shouted Sailor Moon. "Guys, we're going to need to use a Sailor Teleport..."

"Right!" shouted the Senshi. They formed a circle and clasped hands. Sammy was in the circle between Serena and Ami, clasping hands with them while also holding onto his katana. Darien was in the circle between Serena and Rei. "We've got more than enough energy to teleport two other people out of here... hold on!"

A huge flash of light engulfed the seven teens, and they were teleported out of Jekelai's pocket dimension just as the palace collapsed and the dimension was vaporized forever.

---

"You failed to extract the crystal, am I right?"

"Yes, I did," Jekelai said. "And I also lost two more of my mercenaries. But... I have found the true carrier of the crystal, and it is not Sailor Moon."

"Excellent work, Jekelai... while you were gone, I also determined that Sailor Moon could not be the holder of the Dark Crystal... the Imperium Silver Crystal has purified her soul to the point that the Dark Crystal would be destroyed if the two came in contact. So... who is the real holder, then?"

"A 14-year-old boy... Sammy Tsukino. Especially once the sword returned to him... I knew that it had to be him, although at that point I thought I had extracted the crystal. The sword was drawn to the crystal... which may have been possessed by someone else, just as the sword once was. Somehow, the crystal was transferred to the boy along with the sword. Sailor Moon never possessed the crystal."

"And so... how do you plan to extract the crystal, then?"

"One step at a time... I will make the boy implode with dark emotion."

"You will have my assistance in this matter, Jekelai... I trust, however, that you have your own assistance prepared?"

"Yes, several more mercenaries..."

  
"And my army as well. I MUST possess this crystal, Jekelai... and you must not waste any more time."

"It shall be yours."

---

End of chapter! ^_^ Wow, a long one, eh? Hee, the "good-girl, bad-girl thing" line was a line that my friend Christina from school wanted me to put in... so I did! ^_^ I also got the devil/angel wing idea from her... sorry that the person that wielded them got whooped so badly! ^_^ Welp, how'd you guys like this chapter? Review please! Thankuu!


	5. Wintery Respite

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

"Sammy, are you sure you're alright?"

After Lita, Mina, and Rei had gone back to their homes that night, Ami walked with Sammy all the way up to Sammy's front porch. Serena and Darien had already gone inside the house, leaving Ami and Sammy outside by themselves, as a light flurry of snow fell upon the both of them.

"I'm fine, Ami," Sammy said, smiling at Ami, whose look of concern also turned into a smile. "I'm not really hurt, except for a bruise on my arm... really, Ami, I'm just glad that none of you guys were hurt... well, badly, anyway."

"It's not that, Sammy," Ami replied. "It's what Jekelai said... about the Dark Crystal... do you think he's really telling the truth? Is there really a magical crystal of dark power inside of your body right now? Sammy, I'm really worried..."

"I'm a little worried too, Ami," Sammy said. "When Jekelai was shocking you, I felt something deep within me... it was different from anger... it felt... painful, like there was something trying to eat me up from the inside, and-"

"Oh, Sammy..." Ami said, running over to Sammy and embracing him tightly, her arms clutched around his chest as if trying to protect him from some unseen adversary. "Please, I'm seriously worried about you, Sammy..."

"Ami... I... it went away after a few seconds, Ami... the painful feeling did... I'm scared too, Ami..."

"Sammy," Ami said sadly, tears beginning to come up to her eyes once more. "I... I can't stand the thought of something happening to you, not again..."

"If the Dark Crystal really is inside of me, there has to be some way to get it out, Ami... Sailor Moon can help, she's got a crystal of her own, right?" Sammy asked. "If there's anyone who knows how to zap a dark crystal, it's my sister."

Ami sniffled, then slowly released her grip on Sammy's chest, stepping away from him. She smiled again, wiping a tear from her face.

"You're right, Sammy," Ami said, blinking back a tear. "Maybe I'm just being a bit paranoid about this... it's just that..."

  
"I love you too, Ami, with all of my heart," Sammy said affectionately, stepping down off of the porch and walking over to Ami. "Thank you for thinking of me... whatever this new threat is, we'll get through it together."

"I know we will, Sammy," Ami replied, taking Sammy's hand into her own, the warmth from his hand slowly flowing into Ami's slightly cooler skin, causing her to smile even more. "I love you, Sammy..."

Sammy and Ami kissed, only very briefly, but enough to say everything else that they needed to say. Then, Ami slowly turned and walked away from Sammy's porch, waving back to him one last time.

__

"I promise you, Ami... nothing's going to happen to me," Sammy thought, picking up the katana that he'd set down on the porch as he said goodbye to Ami. "At least not while I've got this thing again..."

Sammy opened the door to his house and walked into the living room. There, on the couch, were Serena and Darien, exchanging an extremely passionate open-mouthed kiss. Sammy pretended to gag, causing the two lovers to turn and stare at him, Serena blushing in embarrassment.

"Get a room, you guys," Sammy said jokingly.

"You mean like _your _room?" Serena joked back. "We've been through a lot tonight, you know. Don't tell me that you and Ami didn't do exactly the same thing out there on the porch."

"Oh, leave the kid alone, Serena," Darien said, smiling. "Sammy's just glad to see that you're safe...."

Sammy nodded. Serena kissed Darien on the cheek, and then turned back to Sammy.

"I'm glad you're safe too, Sammy," Serena said warmly. "Great job today, little bro."

"You didn't do so badly yourself, sis," Sammy said, walking toward the stairs. "I've had quite a long day... I'm gonna head up to bed. We've gotta help Ami and the others finish decorating the Winter Festival tomorrow."

"You're right, Sammy," Serena said. "Goodnight..."

---

The next day, after finishing school for the week, Sammy, Rick, and Mika went to the park to complete preparations for the Winter Festival, as the snow flurries from the previous day continued. Despite being held up twice by snowball fights, the first one started by Rick, who threw a playful snowball at Mika but ended up hitting Sammy instead, and the second one by Serena, who deliberately heaved a snowball that hit Rei in the bottom, the decorations had been completed by sunset, allowing Sammy and the others to experience the beautiful orange sky as the snow clouds cleared. 

"And now... it's done!" Mika said, setting down her chisel and admiring her beautiful work. "Rick, my ice angel sculpture is finished!"

Rick, who had been talking to Sammy about video games, quickly ran over to inspect Mika's sculpture, with Sammy following close behind. The sculpture portrayed a beautiful angel with long, flowing hair, and a beautiful gown. The sunset shined brilliantly through the sculpture, giving it a beautiful, colorful appearance. 

"Mika, that's incredible..." Rick said in amazement, admiring his girlfriend's work. "Hey, everybody, come check out Mika's statue!"

Serena, Darien, Ami, Rei, Lita, Mina, and about eight other students who had been helping with the decorations quickly ran over to catch a glimpse of Mika's sculpture. Mika smiled, then emitted a slight giggle.

"I really didn't expect this kind of publicity," Mika said modestly.

"Way cool!" shouted one of the girls in the crowd. "Mika, you rock!"

"This is amazing," Lita said, looking up and down at the sculpture. "I didn't know you had this kind of talent..."

"And three years ago, you were just a little girl making dolls," Serena said. "You've got a great talent, and it's developed in such a short time!"

"Mika, this really is a cool sculpture," Sammy said. "I'm sure that everyone will love it at the festival tomorrow!"

"I hope so," Mika said, smiling. 

"I know people will love it, Mika... it's the coolest thing here!" Rick said. "And I really do mean that!"

"It's only the coolest thing here because I couldn't get that bikini dunk tank I wanted," Mina said, a playful smile on her face.

"Would you give the bikini dunk tank a rest?" Rei said, elbowing Mina playfully. "We've got plenty of other fun games, like the winter bakewalk. Lita made a ton of stuff for that one... did you remember to make something, Mina?"  


"I made a few cupcakes, but they're probably not very good," Mina said, frowning. "Ah well... whoever wins them will still have to eat them!"

"I know what Sammy wants," Serena said, smiling devilishly at Ami while gesturing in Sammy's direction. "He wants to win your cookies...."

"Oh, Serena, stop it!" Ami said, blushing in embarrassment. "Really, I never..."

"No, I really do want to win your cookies," Sammy said. "The ones you baked based on your mom's recipe, remember? You told me about them earlier today... what did you think my sister meant?"

"Um... well, um... never mind, Sammy," Ami said, blushing even more. 

"The Winter Festival is gonna be great tomorrow, Ami!" Sammy said. "I already signed us up for the couples ice-skating competition and everything..."

"Couples ice-skating?" Ami asked, looking slightly confused. "I've only ice-skated once or twice before..."

"Oh, that's okay... I've never ice skated before!" Sammy said. "I just thought it would be something fun to do together... I just hope I don't embarrass us or anything."

"Sammy, nothing we do together could possibly embarrass me!" Ami said sweetly. "I'd love to skate with you tomorrow, Sammy... win or lose, it'll be a memory that I'll treasure forever."

  
As Ami looked into Sammy's eyes, he smiled brightly, just as she was smiling. They leaned in together and exchanged a kiss, not caring that Serena was still looking at them. Serena simply sighed, smiled, and turned back to admire Mika's work. 

__

"No matter what happens, as long as we're together, I'll be happy," was the thought that was in both of their minds as their lips mingled in the cold, winter evening.

---

But after everyone had left the Winter Festival that night, a different kind of meeting was occurring in the park's clearing... unbeknownst to everyone, Jekelai and several of his mercenaries were planning an attack for the next day.

"The Dark Crystal must be drawn out carefully, through the skilled triggering of negative emotions within its host," Jekelai said as he faced a small crowd of five hooded and cloaked figures, who listened intently to what he had to say. "That process will begin tomorrow. Do I have any takers for this mission?"

One of the men stepped forward and removed his hood, revealing a head of long, dark green hair, sitting on top of a flashing, powder-white head with long, slanted eyes and prominent red lips. 

"I shall take this mission, Lord Jekelai," said the man, smiling with his crooked teeth. "Vestibule, at your service."

"I recall your special skill, Vestibule," Jekelai said, "but it's been so long since I've seen it that it demands another demonstration."

"With pleasure, my lord," Vestibule said, tossing away his cloak. He closed his eyes and tilted back his head, toward the night sky. Suddenly, the flashing in his body ceased, as several wisps of white spirit energy began to flow forth from Vestibule's body. As the wisps floated out, Vestibule's body faded, and then disappeared. The wisps flew into the body of another of the hooded men, causing the remaining three to gasp in horror and step back. The hooded man whom Vestibule had possessed threw off his cloak, drew a long, glistening sword, and stabbed himself in the chest, causing him to collapse in an instant. The wisps of energy then floated out of the dead man, reshaping into the form of Vestibule. He opened his eyes, a sneer on his face. Jekelai frowned.

"An excellent demonstration, but one that cost me Pharrusi, one of my finest mercenaries," Jekelai said. "Next time you choose to demonstrate your powers, be a bit more careful."

"My deepest apologies," Vestibule said, bowing to Jekelai. "Tomorrow, I will lie in wait inside that ice sculpture over there."

Vestibule pointed to Mika's ice sculpture, which had been mounted in front of a grove of trees.

"Then, during the festival, I will draw out the hidden powers within the statue... powers present inside all things, which I have the ability to utilize, and attack the boy's friends and family, ruining the festival and robbing Sammy of the people he cares about most," Vestibule said.

"Couldn't you simply possess them and force them to kill themselves, like you did to poor Pharrusi a few seconds ago?" Jekelai asked. Vestibule shook his head.

"The Senshi contain too much magical energy to control, even when detransformed," Vestibule said. "They would be able to resist my control far too easily... unlike Pharrusi, whom I knew was too weak to resist, which was why I killed him and not any of your other men."

"Excellent point," Jekelai said, his annoyance over Pharrusi's death subsiding. "Then I must thank you for eliminating that weakness within my ranks. However, I pose another question to you... surely, Sammy must have other friends besides the Sailor Senshi... I do not think that a boy his age would choose to hang around with girls all day. Why not possess his other friends, and force Sammy to experience the pain of their deaths in front of his eyes, without being able to stop it?"

"You're right," Vestibule said. "Perhaps that would be the best way to go about it..."

"Well, you've got until tomorrow to think about it," Jekelai said, a swirling vortex of darkness appearing behind him, into which the three other mercenaries quickly jumped. "But do not return unless you've done _something _to create negative emotion in Sammy. I don't expect you to draw out the crystal right away. Like I said, it will be a slow, painful process, involving _many _attacks. But just don't screw this up entirely. I will not tolerate failure."

"Yes, my lord," said Vestibule as Jekelai retreated into the portal. Once the portal had disappeared, Vestibule closed his eyes, and the wisps of magical energy floated into the ice statue, as Vestibule's body disappeared yet again into darkness.

---

"Sammy, Sammy, wake up... it's the big day! The Winter Festival!"

Sammy opened his eyes and smiled as he saw the face of his mother, smiling down at him as she leaned over the side of his bed to wake him up.

"Morning, mom," Sammy said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Yeah, this is a pretty big day..."

"Well, Ami's going to be here in a couple of hours, so you should probably get ready, Sammy," said Sammy's mother, walking out of the room. "Take a shower, get dressed, eat a nice, big breakfast, brush your teeth, comb your hair..."

"I know, I know, mom, I'm gonna do all that stuff, I promise," Sammy said, hopping out of bed and yawning. "I'm gonna go take a shower right now, okay?"

"I'll start warming up breakfast for you," said Sammy's mother. "Your sister's been up for the last two hours now, bothering me to make breakfast, but I told her that she'd have to wait for you to get up... it's a small wonder that she didn't come up here and wake you... I guess it's because I told her not to."

"Thanks," Sammy said, walking past his mother toward the bathroom.

"Is he up?" Serena yelled from downstairs. 

"Yes, Serena, Sammy's awake," said their mother, walking down the stairs as Sammy closed and locked the bathroom door. "I'll have breakfast ready in a half hour, okay, Serena?"

"Okay, mom," said Serena, who was doing some preparing of her own. She was already dressed in a light pink sweater decorated with designs of white rabbits, but at the moment, she was putting on a pair of ice skates, just about ready to head out the front door. "I'm gonna go out and skate in the street, okay, mom?"

"You're going to _what_, Serena? Not before breakfast you're not..."

"Oh, just let her go," said Sammy and Serena's father, walking into the room. "She wants to practice up for the big couples ice-skating competition... and speaking of that, are you sure you don't want to sign up too?"

"Oh, I couldn't," said Mrs. Tsukino, smiling longingly, but with a twinge of regret. "I mean, let's just watch for today... we're not as fit as we used to be, and-"

"You don't turn forty until next month, dear," said Mr. Tsukino, walking over and kissing his wife on the cheek. "And you love ice-skating."

"Watching it on TV, maybe, but not actually doing it... although I admit that it would be fun..."

"You guys should do it!" Serena said, taking her father's hand in her left hand and her mother's hand in her right, and then placing them together so that they were clasping. "Mom, dad, you're not going to embarrass yourselves... I mean, Darien and I are in the competition, and we can't skate very well either... and Sammy's never skated a day, and _he's _in the competition too..."

"What was that, sis?" Sammy said, having just emerged from the shower, a towel around his waist. "Did you say something to me?"  


"I said you should dry your hair before you ruin mom and dad's carpet!" Serena shouted up at her little brother. "Water can be dangerous for the wood in the floor! I heard that from Ami, and she's your girlfriend, so you should take her advice to heart!"

"Unless it comes directly from Ami's mouth, it's not good advice to me," Sammy replied. "It's worthless coming from you."

"You should still probably dry your hair, Sammy," said Mrs. Tsukino. "And I should probably start making breakfast..."

---

Later that day, as Sammy and Ami were walking to the festival, the subject that Serena had mentioned that morning came up again.

"Serena's right, Sammy," Ami said. "Water can be pretty dangerous for carpeted wooden flooring..."

"I knew it," Sammy said, sighing. "I knew she was, but I've never heard you say that before, so I just thought-"

  
"Although I don't think a few drops would hurt anything," Ami said, smiling at Sammy. "You weren't doing anything wrong..."

__

"That's Ami for ya... always saying something to make you feel a little bit better," Sammy thought as he smiled back at Ami. _"Just another thing I love about you, Ami-chan..."_

"Thanks, Ami," Sammy said. "Serena was just being her usual, annoying self.... I still love her, though."

"You two have a really healthy brother-sister relationship, Sammy," Ami said, turning down a path in the park with Sammy just as the 'Winter Festival' sign came into view. "I'm sure Serena was just messing with you."

  
"Yeah," Sammy replied. Finally, Sammy and Ami entered the large clearing where the festival was to be held. Rei, Mina, and Lita had already arrived, sitting at a table near the entrance and waving at Sammy and Ami. Rick and Mika were sitting over by Mika's ice sculpture, where Mika was talking to a young couple who had praised her about the craftsmanship of the piece. Meanwhile, at the buffet table, Darien was standing next to Serena, starting to get annoyed.

"I can take the cookies, or the cake," Serena said, her plate already filled with various desserts. "Or the eclair... oh, why did they make these plates so small?"

"You could just get _another _plate, Serena," Darien said.

"Yes, but carrying two plates is dangerous," Serena said. "What if I fall in the snow and spill my food everywhere?"

Darien sighed.

"Hey, look... the bakewalk is about to start!" Sammy said, pointing over to an area where several people were gathering, walking around in a circle as music played in the background. When the music stopped, one of the people jumped up in glee, and walked over to a small table to select one of the desserts.

"I wonder why they don't just get something from the buffer table if they want something to eat so much," said Rei, also observing the bakewalk game. 

"Because the items on the buffet table were mostly purchased from stores, while the bakewalk has food that was actually made by people," Lita said. "Food made by someone you care about, like a friend or relative, tastes better than food bought from a store, because you get something that you can't normally get from storebought food..."

"Love," Ami said. 

"That's right," Lita replied. "It's that feeling that makes the food taste so much better than food purchased from a store... somebody poured their heart and soul into making the food, as opposed to someone simply pushing buttons on an assembly line."

"I see," Rei said. "Well, you've got me convinced. I'm going to try and win something!"

"Me too!" said Mina, jogging over to the bakewalk game.

"How about you, Sammy?" Ami asked. "We've still got twenty minutes before the ice-skating tournament starts, do you want to-"

"Sure!" Sammy said, walking over to the bakewalk game. "I hope I win those cookies you made..."

After paying twenty-five yen each, Sammy and Ami took their places in the bakewalk game and began walking around the circle as the music began.

"Fighting evil by moonlight... winning love by daylight... never running from a real fight... she is the one named Sailor Moon!" blared the song coming from the boombox next to the game. Sammy smirked.

__

"So that's what they're saying about sis, huh?" Sammy thought. _"It's a catchy tune... why haven't they made one for me yet? Fighting villains every single day... saving Ami, hip hip hooray! He'll save the world and still have time to play... they call him Sammy, hey hey hey..."_

"Sammy, the song stopped," Ami said, snapping Sammy out of his momentary trance. "Check your number to see if you won! They called the number four..."

Sammy looked down underneath his feet to see the number on the large piece of cardboard that he was standing on. It read '4' in bright, red marker. Sammy gasped.

"Ami, I won!" Sammy said happily.

"That's great, Sammy!" Ami said, smiling. "You'd better go collect your prize..."

Sammy walked over to the table. There, he saw a large selection of desserts that were laid out in front of him. As he scanned the desserts, he looked carefully for the cookies that Ami had baked. He knew exactly what they would be, sugar cookies, sprinkled with glistening blue sugar. But as Sammy looked, and looked again, he couldn't see Ami's cookies. Glancing to his right, he immediately knew why. Standing there, a few feet away, was a small girl, holding a box of cookies. It was the person who had won the last game, and she was happily devouring the shimmering confections, licking the blue crystal sugar from her lips as she ate. For a split-second, Sammy felt an immense twinge of jealousy, but it immediately subsided, and Sammy selected one of Lita's treats instead, a box of six chocolate cupcakes. As Sammy walked back toward Ami, Lita, Rei, and Mina, a tiny pain resonated from deep within his chest, but it went away as soon as it had appeared, and Sammy made nothing of it.

"I couldn't find your cookies, Ami," Sammy said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "But I got your cupcakes, Lita! I'm sure they'll be just as good..."

"Thank you, Sammy," Lita said. "It's too bad that you didn't get the cookies that Ami baked, though..."

  
"That little girl over there has them," said Mina, pointing in the girl's direction. "Hey, she's got one left... I'll tell you what, Sammy, maybe I can buy it for you! I'll just give her a 100-yen coin, and-"

"That's okay, Mina, but thanks for the offer," Sammy said. "I'll be fine... at least Ami's cookies are making that girl happy... that's enough of a treat for me, knowing that something Ami made brought someone else happiness."

"That's a really sweet thought, Sammy," Ami said, smiling. "Don't worry, I can bake some more cookies especially for you... tomorrow, okay? We can make them together!"

__

"Ami... you're so kind," Sammy thought, his face beginning to fill with warmth despite the cold air around him. _"Always thoughtful and generous, and giving... I could never be like that, Ami... I mean, for a split-second, I was actually jealous of that little girl... you'd never be jealous, Ami..."_

"Thanks, Ami," said Sammy. "I'd love to."

"Well, the couples skating competition starts in fifteen minutes, you guys!" Rei said. "I've gotta find Chad... I know he's hiding around here somewhere. But when I find him, he's going to skate with me... he promised he'd come, I can't believe he'd run out like this."

Rei left the group and began searching the crowd for Chad. Meanwhile, Ami and Sammy walked over to the small booth next to the frozen pond where the ice-skating competition would be held.

"I'd like to sign us up for the couples skating competition, please," Ami said, picking up a pen from the booth and signing her and Sammy's names to the sign-up sheet. 

"Hey, you're Ami Mizuno, right?" asked the pretty, brown-haired woman sitting behind the booth. Ami nodded. "I've heard all about you... you finished as the runner-up in the Tokyo Swimming Championship last fall, right? You won the 200-meter backstroke and the 200-meter butterfly!"

"Yes, that's right," Ami said graciously, bowing her head slightly.

"Ami was only one point away from winning the whole thing!" Sammy said. "I saw her swim... she's really, really good!"

"And you must be Sammy," the woman said, looking down at the sign-up sheet. "You two are a couple?"

"That's also correct," Ami said, and Sammy nodded in agreement.

"Well, I think you make a really nice-looking couple!" said the woman. "I wish both of you the best of luck!"

"Thank you!" said Sammy and Ami at the same time.

---

"See, I told you I couldn't do this!" said Mrs. Tsukino, as she began to slip on the ice. Mr. Tsukino helped her regain her balance, and the two were able to skate around the pond twice, although not at a very quick speed. Sammy and Serena cheered their parents on from the sidelines.

"We drew them in the first round," Sammy said. "But they're still my parents, so I'm going to cheer them anyway!"

The skating competition turned out to be a single elimination tournament. 16 couples had signed up, including Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino, Serena and Darien, Sammy and Ami, Rick and Mika, and, at the very last minute, Rei and Chad.

"I can't believe I agreed to do this," Chad said, sighing. _"The things I do for love..."_

"Now, Chad, sometimes in life, people have to do things that they don't want to do!" Rei scolded. "And I think you'll like this competition... skating is a sport that's supposed to be really healthy for you."

Rick, who was standing right behind Rei and Chad, made a quiet 'whpissssh!' noise, while gesturing with his hand as if he was cracking a whip. Mika elbowed him in the ribs, quickly causing him to stop.

  
"And I would say that our first couple did very well, wouldn't you?" said the same woman who was sitting as the booth, now doing announcing duties with a megaphone in her hand. "The four judges have given out a score of 26.5 out of 40 for this couple, which will make them a stiff challenge for our next couple, Sammy Tsukino and Ami Mizuno!"

"Yay!" Serena cheered. "Go Sammy!"

Sammy and Ami stepped out onto the ice, holding hands. Both of them were wearing ice skates that they had rented for the competition.

"I'm glad I've got my own pair of skates," Serena whispered to Darien. "I don't think the rental skates are very good..."

Sammy and Ami began to glide on the ice, but as Ami began to turn, Sammy couldn't follow fast enough, and he fell down, his back hitting hard onto the ice. Ami gasped and skated back over to him, helping him to his feet.

"Sammy, are you alright?" Ami asked. "This is supposed to be fun, but I don't want you to get hurt..."

"I'm okay, Ami!" Sammy said. "It doesn't hurt that much..."

But a slight groan from Sammy quickly dimmed Ami's mood. 

"Are you sure?" she asked again as she and Sammy slowly skated across the ice.

"Positive," came Sammy's reply. "Now... let's win this competition!"

With a quick spin, Sammy twirled with Ami in a small circle, quickly reaching rather fast speeds. Ami gasped as she and Sammy began to go faster and faster, but as she saw Sammy begin to laugh, she began to laugh as well. The two continued twirling for about twenty seconds, before both of them became dizzy and they had to come to a stop. They both skated over to the side of the pond, satisfied with their performance.

"That was... pretty fun..." Sammy said, rubbing his eyes in an effort to shake the pall of dizziness that was upon him.

"You're right, Sammy," Ami said, giggling. "This was really fun..."  
  
"Sorry to worry you like that, Ami," Sammy said. "I'll try not to fall next time, okay?"

"Next time?" Ami asked. "You mean we-"

"Got a 28 out of 40," Sammy said. "We beat my parents... we're going on to the next round!"

"That's wonderful!" Ami said. Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino were smiling as well. 

"Congratulations, son," said Sammy's father. "You and Ami did really well out there..."

"And you looked like you were having a lot more fun than we were!" said Sammy's mother. "Good luck in the next round!"

"Our next couple is Seta Guran and Betsy Brennan," said the female announcer. "Skating after them will be Rick Sumaki and Mika-"

"Hear that?" Rick said, walking over to Sammy. "If we win our next match, we might be facing you and Ami next round..."

  
"I won't enjoy beating you guys, because you're my friends, but... I'm still going to try my best anyway!" said Mika. Sammy and Ami nodded.

  
"You've still got to get through this match first," Sammy said. "Ah, I know you guys can do it! And then after that, you face us! Good luck!"

As the next couple began to skate, Vestibule watched the events from his treacherous vantagepoint, within Mika's angelic ice sculpture. He was waiting for the perfect time to strike, and soon, he would be ready.

__

"Just keep on having your little fun, Sammy, you and your friends... because in just a few moments, I'll be destroying them all... ripping the ones you love to pieces... and that Dark Crystal will soon be exposed for all the world to see..."

---

^_^ People in my stories just can't seem to have fun without bad guys attacking, huh? I hope it's not too cliché... well, if you've got anything to say, the review section awaits! Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!


	6. Getting Some Exorcise

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. Sparrow all of my pathetic characters. Well, with the possible exception of Kirsten from _Fantaisie Sign_... she rocks. (/shameless self-promotion)

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: (coming next chapter!)

---

"And the first skating pair for round two competition will be Sammy Tsukino and Ami Mizuno!"

Upon hearing their names called by the announcer, the young couple skated out onto the frozen pond. Serena and the others cheered them on from the sidelines.

"You can do it, Sammy!" Serena cheered. "And you too, Ami! Show 'em how it's done!"

"Skate your butts off, you guys!" shouted Rei. "And Sammy, don't worry about beating Rick and Mika... it's all about the two of you!"

"Hey, Rei, cool it...." Mina said quietly. "Rick and Mika are our friends too..."

  
"Yeah," said Lita. "We don't want anyone's feelings hurt..."

"Aw, don't sweat it," Rick said, smiling at Rei and the other girls. "No matter who wins, it's still good, as long as we have fun! Skating with Mika is gonna be a memory I'll treasure forever..."

  
"Oh, Rick, you really mean it?" Mika said, getting a smile and a nod from Rick in response. "That's so sweet of you..."

Sammy and Ami began their skating routine, which wasn't so much a 'routine' as it was just skating around for a minute or two, laughing and smiling the whole time. It wasn't the fanciest thing in the world, but the judges were quite moved by Sammy and Ami, and they were smiling almost the whole time.

"Ami, this is really great!" Sammy said, skating around the rink while holding Ami's hand and looking into her bright, blue eyes. "I'm having a wonderful time!"

"Me too, Sammy!" Ami said. "I could skate like this forever..."

But finally, after three minutes had passed, Ami and Sammy decided to stop skating, gliding off of the rink while still holding hands. The judges smiled, nodded, and handed their scores to the announcer.

"Well well well, Sammy and Ami were wonderful, don't you think?" said the announcer in her delightful, perky voice. "And the judges think so too... 31 out of 40 for Sammy and Ami! Great job, you two!"

"Did you hear that?" Sammy said happily. "We got a good score!"

  
"We got a great score," Ami replied. "We didn't really do anything, but..."

"The judges saw the love and passion that the two of you had, and gave you some great marks!" Mina said, smiling brightly. "Excellent performance!"

"Good job, Sammy! And you too, Ami!" Rick said. "Well, I guess it's time for Mika and me to head out there..."

"Yeah," Mika said, smiling. "No matter what happens, if we don't win, we'll be rooting for you guys in the semi-finals, okay?"  


"Thanks!" Sammy said. "And good luck!"

As Rick and Mika took the ice, Mika's ice sculpture began to glow. Vestibule had been lying in wait for quite a while, and now, he seemed just about ready to emerge.

__

"Those two are the perfect first targets," Vestibule thought. _"It's time for this angel to fly... and for Sammy's friends to die!"_

As the sculpture began to float into the air, a deep, red glow emanating from it, several people who had been standing nearby began to scream. Sammy and Ami immediately turned around to see the sculpture flying straight toward them.

"Oh my God, it's Mika's sculpture!" Sammy shouted in a panicked tone. As the statue flew through the crowd, scores of people began fleeing from the clearing in a mad dash for their lives.

"Sammy, get down!" Ami screamed, diving upon Sammy and tackling to the ground, while at the same time taking out her henshin stick.

Meanwhile, on the pond, Rick and Mika stopped skating and turned around to see the commotion. Before Mika could even scream, the huge statue slammed into her, tackling her to the icy surface and shattering the frozen pond beneath her, plunging the girl into the icy depths. Rick slipped and fell on his back, just outside the large hole in the pond that had been created by the possessed sculpture. 

"Mika, no!" Rick shouted in despair. He tore off his heavy winter jacket, his ice skates, and his sweater, preparing to dive into the water after Mika, gritting his teeth as the bitter cold stung his flesh. 

"Moon Crystal Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

  
"Mars Crystal Power!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

"Venus Crystal Power!"

The five Sailor Senshi stood just outside the frozen pond, having temporarily ducked into a grove of trees to avoid being seen while they transformed. Darien stood next to them, now in his Tuxedo Mask outfit. Sammy watched helplessly from several feet away, knowing that he had left his katana at home. 

"We've gotta help Mika and Rick!" Sailor Moon shouted, and the other Senshi and Tuxedo Mask quickly nodded in agreement.

"What do I do?" Sammy shouted in frustration. "I'm not going to leave, Rick and Mika are my friends, and-"

"Stay here, Sammy," Mercury advised, turning her head to speak to Sammy. "We'll help your friends, and then this will all be over, okay?"

After Sammy nodded, Sailor Mercury turned back toward the pond. A small crowd, including the woman with the megaphone and the four judges, had bravely stayed to help Rick and Mika, but just as one of them was preparing to dive in, Rick pulled Mika from the frozen pond. He gently set her down on the icy surface of the pond and brushed her hair back from her face in an attempt to get her some more air. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, and she coughed out a small amount of water as Rick leaned over her, a worried look on his face.

"Mika, are you alright?" Rick said tenderly. "I was so worried, I-"

"I'm... okay," Mika said, still trying to regain her breath. "Rick, you... you saved me?"

"Yeah," Rick said, his voice trembling as freezing water and snow dripped off of his extremely wet upper body. "I... think I need a towel..."

  
As Rick finished those words, he flopped over onto his side, unconscious. His face had begun to turn blue. As he fell, Mika let out a shriek, and several people from the crowd rushed to Rick's aid, immediately wrapping the shivering boy in a towel. Mika began to stand, eager to run over and assist Rick, but suddenly, she stopped. Vestibule had silently floated out of Mika's ice sculpture, which was now floating in pieces in the watery pond. Now, he had suddenly decided to possess Mika, his wispy form immediately taking control of the young girl's body.

"Rick, Mika, are you guys okay?" Sammy shouted as he ran out onto the frozen pond, pushing his way through the crowd. "Lemme through, Rick is my friend!"

"Sammy, what are you doing?" Sailor Mercury shouted. "We don't know if the danger's passed or-"

"Sammy, I was so scared..." said the possessed Mika, slowly walking toward Sammy. "Is Rick going to be alright?"

"He'll be just fine, Mika," Sammy said. "I hope so, anyway... but are you okay?"

"As a matter of fact... I'm not!" Mika shouted, throwing her coat off and picking up an extremely sharp piece of ice from the frozen pond's surface. 

"Mika, what's going on?" Sammy shouted, his face taking on a confused look. Sailor Moon gasped.

"Sammy, look out!" Sailor Moon screamed. But instead of stabbing Sammy with the piece of ice, Mika jammed it into her own shoulder, carving a large gash that immediately began dripping blood down her arm, staining the white sweater that she was wearing. Sammy gasped in horror.

"Mika, stop!" Sammy yelled at the top of his lungs. But Mika simply smiled at Sammy, her sweet voice taking on a sinister tone.

"Sammy, I'm not Mika... I am Vestibule, one of the Pale Mercenaries! And I shall kill your friend from within, forcing you to watch! Say goodbye to your precious Mika!"

Sammy's eyes widened. 

__

"No, not another one of them!" Sammy thought, panic racing through his mind. _"Just like Jekelai... he's trying to kill all of my loved ones!"_

But as Mika prepared to stab herself in the chest, clearing a killing blow, Sailor Venus shouted out an attack.

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

A large, golden chain wrapped around Mika's wrist and tossed her to the ground, causing the sharp ice dagger to drop out of her hand and skid across the surface of the pond. 

"You showed your hand a bit too early, Vestibule!" Sailor Moon shouted, standing next to the other four Sailor Senshi. "Now that we know who you are, we're going to defeat you in the name of the Moon!"

"We fight for love, and justice!" Sailor Mercury shouted.

"And we fight to protect our friends!" declared Sailor Mars.

"And for trying to hurt someone we care about..." Sailor Jupiter said.

"We'll punish you!" shouted Sailor Venus, still holding the chain wrapped around Mika's wrist. With a sudden burst of strength, Mika twisted her arm around, breaking the chain and sending Sailor Venus skidding across the pond. As she slid to a stop in front of Mika, she received a hard kick to the face that sent her flying back toward the other Sailor Senshi.

"Sailor Venus!" shouted the other Senshi in unison. Mika began to laugh triumphantly.

"I hope you know that you just broke this poor girl's wrist," said Mika, Vestibule still speaking through her. "Ah well, the more she suffers, the more Sammy suffers, and the more he suffers, the closer we are to extracting that Dark Crystal!"

Mika turned toward Sammy.

  
"Did you know that this girl feels every injury inflicted upon her body while I'm inside of it?" Mika asked. "That cut across the shoulder? Sailor Venus snapping the bones of this girl's wrist in half? She's feeling it right now, Sammy."

"GET OUT OF MIKA'S BODY RIGHT NOW, YOU SICKO!" Sammy shouted.

"And did you know that even while inside this weak, pathetic body, I still possess incredible strength? Watch this."

Mika pointed her right arm, broken wrist and all, straight at the crowd who was tending to Rick, just outside the frozen pond. Several of them had fled during the battle, but a few of them continued to stay, using towels to warm the unconscious boy's body. Sammy gasped.

"Not today!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, running toward Mika. "Jupiter... Lightning..."

"NO!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "Jupiter, you can't! If you use your powers on him, you'd be risking Mika's life!"

  
"That's right!" Sammy said. "We can't do that!"

"But he's about to hurt all of those innocent people!" Sailor Jupiter yelled through gritted teeth.

"She's got a point, you guys," Sailor Moon said quietly. "But I don't want to risk an innocent life..."

"Time's up!" Mika shouted. "Time to claim my first victims..."

A large blast of magical energy appeared in Mika's right palm. 

__

"I don't believe it, he can _use his powers while inside Mika's body!" _Sammy thought. _"No... all of those poor people... I can't let this happen!"_

But just before Mika could fire her blast, Sailor Mars leapt in front of her, a sly grin on her face.

"What are you doing?" Mika shrieked. "I'll just have to kill you, then!"

"Look up," Sailor Mars said. Suddenly, Mika's body was engulfed in a bright, red flame. 

"Sailor Mars, what have you done?" Sammy shouted. "Mika!!!"

"Sammy, wait... look!" Sailor Mercury said, pointing in the blazing Mika's direction. As Sammy turned his head to look, the fires had died down, and the unconscious Mika dropped to the ground. Vestibule was now floating above the girl's body, looking down and wondering what had happened. Sailor Mars bent down and peeled off a small, sticky piece of white paper from the girl's forehead and held it up for Vestibule to see.

"The last time I used this thing, it backfired on me," Sailor Mars said, still smiling. "So it was a bit of a gamble... but I see that my new and _improved _Ofuda Scroll did the trick."

The sticky scroll dissolved in a tiny blaze of fire. Vestibule growled at Sailor Mars, a look of rage on his face.

"You... you... you WITCH!" Vestibule shouted. "How DARE you! How DARE you interfere with my plans! I... I'll make you pay! I'll-"

"Mercury Ice Javelins!"

  
"Jupiter Thunder Axe!"

  
"Mars Flame Cannon!"

  
"Venus Arrow Of Beauty!"

A powerful torrent of ice, thunder, fire, and arrows flew up at Vestibule, creating a huge explosion that blasted him backward, causing him to land a few feet away from the crowd, his smoking and smoldering body covered in cuts and burns. As the crowd stepped back, the five Senshi, Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask all ran to check on Mika's condition.

"She's unconscious, and hurt," Sailor Moon said, placing her hand on Mika's forehead. "I'm going to heal her... Sammy, I promise she'll be alright. You guys should probably go finish Vestibule off."

"Sis, thank you..." Sammy said, smiling as glowing white energy began flowing into Mika's body, healing her wounds and mending her bones. Tuxedo Mask and the Senshi, minus Sailor Moon, ran across the pond toward Vestibule, who was slowly getting up from the beating that the Senshi had given him.

"It's over, Vestibule!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "Your days of evil are numbered!"

"They've only just begun..." Vestibule said weakly, a grin on his face. Before the Senshi could attack, his body turned into wisps again. The wisps floated into the body of the girl with the megaphone, who turned toward the Senshi and began to laugh menacingly. 

"Take the boy and get to the hospital as fast as you can!" Sailor Mercury shouted to the crowd, who quickly rushed out of the clearing, carrying Rick with them. The girl with the megaphone growled at the Senshi, an angry look on her face.

"What did you do that for?" she shouted. 

"So you'd have no one else to possess!" Sailor Mercury said. "I did some quick research on my mini-computer, and it says that you're too weak to possess any of us."

"And you can't possess Sammy, since keeping him alive is your goal, right?" Tuxedo Mask said. The girl began to laugh.

"That's not it at all!" she shouted. "I would possess the boy and deliver him to Jekelai myself, but... you see, the Dark Crystal's power would destroy me as soon as I got inside. So I guess you're half right... I can't possess him, but I'd like to. But it doesn't matter anyway! This girl possesses exceptional hidden power... like this!"

The girl screamed into the megaphone, as loud as she could. Powerful magical sound waves blasted out of the instrument, blasting the Senshi back and causing the icy pond to shatter as the waves burst forth. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask crumpled to the ground as Sammy and Sailor Moon scrambled out of the way, taking Mika with them.

"This isn't good..." Sailor Venus said, shielding her head from flying pieces of ice. "Not good at all..."

"What are we going to do?" Sailor Jupiter shouted.

"I'll tell you what!" Sailor Mars yelled, taking out one of her Ofuda Scrolls. "I'll just-"

But a blast to Sailor Mars' arm cut her off, sending the scroll flying into the wind. As Sailor Mars clenched her arm and groaned in pain, the possessed girl walked toward the Senshi, holding her megaphone menacingly in her hand.

  
"Yes, this girl has quite a lot of energy indeed," the girl said. "Just think... the Sailor Senshi destroyed, and by a mere human!"

"You're no human, you're a monster!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "And somehow, we'll free that girl from your control!"

Tuxedo Mask threw a flurry of roses at the girl, but she simply leapt up and out of the way as the roses passed harmlessly underneath her. She must have leapt nearly twelve feet in the air, impossible for a normal human. After she leapt, she simply floated in the air, taunting the Sailor Senshi.

"Pathetic," she said, looking down at them. She lifted her megaphone to her lips again. "This time, I'll finish you for good!"

  
"Vestibule's influence is clearly working within that girl!" Sailor Mercury shouted.

"If I could just get close enough to use one of my Ofuda Scrolls, we could get that sicko out into the open again, and finish him off!" Sailor Mars said.

"Maybe you can," said Sailor Mercury.

"How?" Sailor Mars asked. Suddenly, another powerful and crippling wave of seismic energy rushed outward toward the Senshi, who were slammed into the ground by the powerful sound waves. 

"We've gotta help them, Serena!" Sammy whispered to Sailor Moon as they watched the battle from a safe distance.

"Just about... got Mika healed," Sailor Moon replied. "Sammy, I know they can hold on just a little while longer... have some faith, okay?"

"What's the matter, Senshi?" asked the possessed girl, floating down just above the surface of the water in the pond. "You can't defeat a human? That's pathetic."

Sailor Mercury climbed to her feet and pointed her henshin stick at the pond. In an instant, the water froze underneath the girl's feet, turning back into slippery ice. 

"What are you doing?" the girl asked. "So the pond's frozen again. So what! I-"

  
As the girl tried to walk toward the Senshi again, she slipped, her back slamming into the hard, icy surface of the pond. She lifted her megaphone to her lips again, preparing to shout into it, but before she could, one of Sailor Mars' Ofuda Scrolls covered her mouth, causing Vestibule's wispy form to fly out of her body and out into the open again.

"Damn you!" Vestibule shouted, clenching his fists in rage. "Fine! I don't need a vessel to destroy you pathetic Sailor Senshi! I'll fight you myself!"

"Moon... Blessed... Salvation!!!"

"WHAT?" Vestibule shouted as powerful waves of magical energy washed over his body. "IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! I CAN'T LOSE! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask turned to see Sailor Moon standing on the frozen pond, holding out her henshin stick in the direction of the now-obliterated Vestibule. A few feet away, Mika stood next to Sammy, shivering, but conscious and unharmed. 

"Great job, sis," Sammy said, giving Sailor Moon the thumbs-up sign.

"That was awesome, Sailor Moon!" said Sailor Mars. "Of course, I got him out in the open for you..."

  
"With Mercury's help," said Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Mercury giggled.

  
"I think we all helped," Sailor Mercury said. She turned her head toward Sammy and Mika. "Sammy, Mika, are you alright?"

"A little cold, but other than that, just fine!" Mika yelled back. "Thanks, though!"

"I'm glad you're alright, Ami," Sammy said, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her chest. "You did a great job..."

"I'm just glad you're safe, Sammy," Mercury replied. 

"Unnh... my head..." 

The girl who had been possessed by Vestibule stood up, holding Mars' scroll in one hand and her megaphone in the other. She dropped them both onto the ice and stumbled over to the Senshi.

"Hey, guys," she groaned, her legs trembling as she tried to walk. "Thank you..."

"Don't mention it," Sailor Moon said. "We're the Sailor Senshi, and that's what we do!"

  
"The weariness is from the scroll that I had to use to get that creep out of your body," Sailor Mars said. "It should wear off in about an hour..."

"The couples skating contest was my idea," the girl said sadly. "Too bad it had to get ruined like this..."

__

"Hey, I know her..." Sailor Venus thought. _"That's Bianca, from my journalism class..."_

"The Winter Festival is ruined!" Bianca shouted, beginning to cry. Sailor Venus walked over to her and wrapped her arms around the girl's chest, trying the best she could to comfort her friend.

"It's okay... there'll be a Winter Festival next year, and I promise that it won't be ruined like this one was," Sailor Venus said solemnly. "And that's a Sailor Senshi promise."

  
"And a Sailor Senshi promise is never broken!" Sailor Moon said. "So don't worry... you won't have to worry about evil forces ever again!"

"Thank you," Bianca said, stepping away from Sailor Venus and wiping tears away from her face. "I'd better head back home now... Oh, and Mika? I hope that Rick is going to be okay... I'll pray for him."

As Bianca walked out of the clearing, Mika let out a gasp.

"You guys, we've got to go to the hospital!" Mika shouted. "Rick could be in trouble!"

"Yeah, I'm worried about him," Sammy said. "Let's hurry!"

"Should we detransform?" Sailor Moon whispered to Tuxedo Mask.

"Yes, Mika already knows our identities," Tuxedo Mask whispered back. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask reverted to their normal forms, and then dashed toward the hospital, leaving the wrecked and abandoned Winter Festival behind them.

---

"Pathetic. I should've destroyed him when he killed Pharrusi. What recklessness and arrogance!"

"Jekelai, calm yourself, my lord," said an orange-haired woman, her long, green dress flowing behind her as she walked toward Jekelai, who was standing next to a large window, deep in thought. "Where Vestibule failed, I shall succeed..."

"My mercenaries are pathetic... she is the only one who could possibly take a task such as this," Jekelai said to himself, ignoring the orange-haired woman. 

"You're not still thinking of... her, are you?"

Jekelai turned around and backhanded the woman in the face, sending her sprawling back. As she rubbed her cheek, Jekelai flew into a rage.

"How could you fools have let HER escape?" Jekelai shouted. "You did it so that I'd have to send you all on those missions, didn't you?"

"My lord, please... that was years ago..."

"She still hunts me," Jekelai said. "Follows me, taunting me in the darkness... she's followed me here, I know it."

"You should kill her," said the woman.

"I can't... because you see... I love her and I hate her..."

---

__

The scene was much different now. Five years before Jekelai had begun his pursuit of the Dark Crystal, his Pale Mercenaries had just been formed, and his headquarters consisted of simply a large, abandoned castle in the middle of a blazing hot desert, far across the galaxy on a distant world. A short, young man, apparently a messenger, dashed into Jekelai's throne room, desperate to inform him of something.

"We've done it, sir!" the man announced. "She is ours now."

  
"You've captured the Wolf of the Forest?" Jekelai asked, rising from his throne and walking over to the messenger boy. "Are you sure?"

"I am positive, sir...." the messenger boy said, his voice trembling. "It cost us three of our best men, but-"

  
"Bring her in!" Jekelai roared.

  
"At once," said the messenger boy, cowering out of the room. A few seconds later, the messenger boy returned, followed by a procession of twelve robed mercenaries, wheeling a large, thick wooden platform behind them. Standing on the platform was a tall, beautiful girl, who appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen. She was wearing a small, red breastplate around her well-endowed chest, and a short, red skirt around her waist, with large brown boots on her feet. She had long, silver-blonde hair, which perfectly accentuated the bronze color of her well-tanned skin. Her arms, slender, but with some muscle, had been chained together, with the chain hooked to a strong metal link attached to the platform. Her legs were chained in a similar fashion. As she was pulled over to Jekelai, a look of rage crossed over her face.

"You might be one of the most powerful warriors in the universe," said Jekelai, "but your manner of dress resembles that of a harlot."

The girl spit into Jekelai's face, which he quickly wiped off with his hand. He looked back at her and smiled.

  
"That fire... I can see it in your eyes," Jekelai said. "You will make a perfect addition to the Pale Mercenaries."

"I'll be dead before I see that happen," said the girl, her teeth gritted. "No... you'll be dead. I'll kill you where you stand!"

"I don't think so," Jekelai said, "and seeing as how it took twelve of my best men to bring you in, and you took the lives of three others... you will remain chained to that platform until you are completely obedient. Until I break you... you are my slave, Miss Sparrow Migoto." 

With a loud cry of rage, Sparrow ripped away the chain linking her arm to the platform. As Jekelai's twelve mercenaries rushed in to subdue her, a huge, purple blast of energy rushed outward from her body, disintegrating all twelve of them instantly. Jekelai's messenger boy fled out of the room in terror as Sparrow burst the shackles binding her arms and ripped her legs free from the platform, kicking it away and advancing on Jekelai. He didn't move, completely unafraid of Sparrow's imposing presence.

  
"Don't you know it was a trick?" Sparrow shouted. "I let your men capture me so they could lead me to you." 

"I suspected as much," Jekelai said. "Worthless, all of them. You are the supreme prize, my dear..."

"Shut your face!" Sparrow shouted. Her fist began to glow, and she shoved it into Jekelai's stomach as hard as she could, bursting through his skin and causing him to cry out in pain. Blood seeped out of the wound, oozing around Sparrow's arm as she began digging it deeper into Jekelai's body. 

"Didn't... expect... that..." Jekelai said weakly. "But I've got a few tricks... of my own..."

Jekelai grabbed Sparrow's arm as hard as he could, sending an extremely powerful shock pulsing through it. With a shriek, she yanked her arm out of Jekelai's body and lifted it up to her face, watching in horror as crackling bolts of electricity slowly burned her skin.

"What... did you do... to me?" Sparrow shouted. Without a word, Jekelai pointed his arm at Sparrow's forehead.

"Restrictus!!!" Jekelai shouted. A bright, glowing design etched itself into Sparrow's forehead, sending her flying back and slamming her hard into the ground. As she slowly began to climb to her feet, she looked at her arm again. It had stopped burning.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about your arm," Jekelai said, smiling. "I'd be more worried about what's on your forehead."

Sparrow gasped in shock as she felt the complex mark, etched into her skin.

"An Ultinius seal..." she whispered. "No... but... how? I'm immune to them!"

  
"You're only immune to magic weaker than yours, my dear little Sparrow."

Sparrow gasped again.

"No...." she whispered.

"That's right, you've finally met someone stronger than you. But really... it had to happen eventually."

Jekelai walked up to the still-stunned Sparrow and smacked her in the face with such force that it instantly knocked her out. Then, he pointed his arm toward the door of the throne room. Within seconds, the fleeing messenger boy flew back into the room.

"My lord, she's dangerous!" shouted the messenger boy, pointing at Sparrow's unconscious form.

  
"The Ultinius seal I placed on her forehead negates her powers for thirty-six hours," said Jekelai. "It drained a lot of energy out of me, and this wound in my stomach is quite severe... I must depart and recover my strength. Take Sparrow and chain her up in my room. I will return before the magic of the seal wears off..."

Jekelai teleported from the room, leaving the messenger boy alone with Sparrow.

---

About twenty-four hours later, Jekelai, who had mostly regained his strength, re-entered his palace and quickly went to his room to check on Sparrow. But when he arrived, he found something he hadn't expected. His messenger boy was lying on the floor, dead. Deep, purple markings around his throat indicated that he had been strangled to death, and next to his body, Jekelai found what had done the job.

"Even without her powers, Sparrow Migoto is still a force to be reckoned with," said Jekelai, picking up the chains from the ground. "The perfect assassin."

Suddenly, a chain tightened around Jekelai's neck. It squeezed and constricted his throat, but instead of choking, Jekelai simply chuckled.

"It's useless," Jekelai said, turning around to see Sparrow holding a long length of chain, pulling as hard as she could. "But excellent try."

The chain fell from Jekelai's neck and flew around Sparrow's wrists, tightening around them and quickly binding them together, looping and locking around a large chain link that had been firmly placed in the wall. Sparrow slumped against the wall, looking up at Jekelai with an angry scowl on her face.

  
"When this seal disappears, I will kill you," Sparrow said.

  
"Soon, my beautiful, beautiful Sparrow... you will kill everyone I tell you to," Jekelai said evilly.

---

"Go and abduct Sammy's friends, Rick and Mika. Bring them here to me," Jekelai said sternly. The orange-haired woman gasped.

"But my lord, what will that accompli-"

"GO!" Jekelai roared. A portal appeared, and the woman quickly dived into it. As it closed behind her, Jekelai pounded his fist against the window, creating a large crack and nearly shattering it.

---

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Rick was doing just fine. He was in a bed in the emergency room when Sammy, Mika, and the others arrived, and was sipping a large cup of hot cocoa. Mika ran over to Rick and looped her arms around his neck, hugging him affectionately and almost causing Rick to spill his cocoa. Once he had set it down on the table next to him, he returned the hug.

"Rick... oh, I'm so glad you're alright," said Mika.

"I'm glad you're okay, Mika... you're not hurt, are you?" Rick asked.

"I... well, I was, but the Sailor Senshi helped me," Mika replied. "I'm better now..."

"So, what did the doctor say, Rick?" asked Sammy. Rick smiled.

"Just a mild case of hypothermia, that's all," Rick said. "Until my temperature is back to normal, I get all the hot cocoa I want!"

"That's great!" Mika said happily.

"You can share it, right?" Sammy asked. 

"Yeah, can you?" asked Serena.

"Sure, you guys can have my cup," Rick said, offering it to both Sammy and Serena. As he did, three adults, one male and two female, walked into the room. 

"You guys must be Rick and Mika's parents, right?" Rei asked.

  
"I'm Mika's mother," said one of the women, "and those two next to me are Rick's parents."

They nodded.

"Well, now that everything is settled... I guess we can rest for a while, huh?" Mina asked.

"Too bad about the Winter Festival, though," said Lita.

"Guys, those mercenaries are still after Sammy," whispered Ami, so that only Serena, Rei, Lita, Mina, and Darien could hear. "And they're going to be after us, too... I think we should keep on our guard."

"Mm-hmm," Serena said. "But for now, let's just let Sammy be with his friends... they've had a rough day.

---

Boy, am I mean to main characters' friends, or what? ^_^ It's just not healthy being a main character in one of my stories. But they get paid extra! Oh, and thanks again to my friend Christina! The Sparrow Migoto character is hers, not mine... BTW, Christina, hope you like the way Sparrow was presented! You guys'll be seeing much more of her. Don't look at me, it was Christina's idea!!! *waves arms defensively* Nah, if you guys don't like Sparrow, you can just, um... take it up with me. In my review section! (in which you should also be telling me things you liked. Like Sparrow. *shakes fist* Like her... ^_^) 


	7. A Mad Scramble

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: 

Saberpilot: Yanno, I always thought that movie was the Dark Tower, but that's a Stephen King book series. Dark Crystal was a muppet movie, wasn't it? _ I'd have called the crystal something else, too. Welp, too late now! ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!

Gracedangel1854: Thank you! And hope ya like this chapter!

Jster1983: Yeah, I guess he did sound like Courage... but Chad just thought it, he didn't say it. ^_^ And it was intentional.

Sparrow Migoto (yep, character's named after her): Thanks for reading the story! And even though Ceyazaka got killed, she's still pretty cool... hope you like the Sparrow flashback sequence in this chappie!

Happygolucky111: Nope, Vestibule wasn't in the little girl... she just likes Ami's cookies. ^_^ I'd pick Ami's cookies too, no matter what Sammy thought! But I'm mean like that.

---

The next Monday, at school, Miss Haruna was handing out the results of the math test from a few days earlier. 

"Sammy Tsukino," Miss Haruna said, calling Sammy up to the desk to receive his graded test. Sammy walked up to the front of the classroom, where Miss Haruna handed him the test. "Nice work, Sammy."

  
Sammy looked at the score on the top of the test. Out of a possible 100, he'd received a 93. Not bad for having daydreamed away half of the test. He went back to his seat and sat down, gazing over the small errors that Miss Haruna had pointed out.

"Sammy, how'd you do?" asked the girl who was sitting behind Sammy's desk. Sammy turned around and smiled, then showed her the score on the top of his paper. "Oh... gee, I only got a 75."

"That's okay, Mei-Lin," Sammy said reassuringly. "You'll do better next time..."

"But my parents are gonna be so mad," Mei-Lin replied, her face wrought with despair. "They'll probably put me on punishment for a whole week... I won't get to see my friends or anything."

  
"Sammy, Mei-Lin, would you please pay attention?" Miss Haruna said, causing the two students to quickly turn around.

  
"Sorry, Miss Haruna," Sammy said apologetically.

"That's alright, just try to be more quiet when I begin my lecture," Miss Haruna said. "Now, who can tell me the cosine of a 30-degree angle?"

__

"That's easy," Sammy thought, raising his hand. _"The cosine of a 30-degree angle is-"_

"Radical three over two," came a voice from the corner of the room, the seat farthest away from the door. Sammy turned his head to see who had answered the question. Sitting at the corner desk was a tall, black-haired boy wearing a bright red sweater. As his eyes met Sammy's, his smile curled into a sneer, but then turned into a frown as he was sharply rebuked by Miss Haruna.

  
"You're correct, but you should raise your hand when you answer a question!" snapped Miss Haruna. "There were several other children with their hands up, and you should show more respect for them and me by raising your hand."

"I'm sorry, Miss Haruna, but I'm new here," said the boy, "and in my old classroom, the teacher-"

"I know that your old teacher may have had certain ways of doing things, but in this classroom, we raise our hands when we want to answer questions," said Miss Haruna. "I haven't learned your name yet-"

"It's Mikhail," said the boy. "Mikhail Serenden."

"Well, Mr. Serenden, now that you know to raise your hand, we'll go on to the next question," said Miss Haruna. Sammy, who had remained silent throughout the entire episode, sat up and got ready to answer the next question, making sure to raise his hand if he knew the answer.

---

Later that day, Sammy, Rick, and Mika sat together at lunch in the small courtyard on the school's roof, set up a couple of years back to accommodate students during break and lunch periods. Mikhail, who was also in the courtyard for lunch, was leaning up against the fence surrounding the edge of the roof, with a stern look on his face. He wasn't eating. Instead, he was simply looking up into the clear, blue sky, an unusual sight in the winter.

"I wonder what he's doing?" Mika asked, holding an apple in her hand. "He's just... staring off into space."

"Maybe he's still a little bummed that Miss Haruna yelled at him," Sammy said. "I mean, he seems like a pretty smart guy, and he's probably not used to getting yelled at."

Sammy stopped looking at Mikhail and turned back toward Rick and Mika.

"How are you two doing, anyway?" Sammy asked. "I haven't seen you guys since the Festival a couple days ago... Rick, are you holding up alright?"

"My temperature's been normal for two days, dude," Rick said. "Don't sweat it, I'm fine... I'm just glad that Mika's okay."

  
"Thanks, Rick," Mika said warmly. "Sammy, that double date that you and Ami set up for us to go on this afternoon... it's still on, isn't it?"

"Of course!" Sammy said. "It's gonna be great... spending time with Ami and my two best friends in the whole world!"

"And it'll help take our minds off of what happened at the festival," Mika said. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm still a little shaken up... I mean, not about my ice sculpture getting broken, that's not it... I feel bad about my sculpture, but... something else. After I was pulled out of the lake, everything went black, but... I had this dream."

Mika's lips began trembling, and she shook her head slightly, as if not wanting to remember the painful vision that had apparently crept into her head. Rick started to move his hand up to her face in an attempt to comfort her, but Mika shook her head again, and Rick pulled back his hand.

  
"Mika, it's okay," Sammy said softly. "You don't have to tell us anymore..."

"Okay," Mika said, her expression starting to revert back to normal. "It's just... in the dream... all the pain felt so real, and-"

Before Mika could recall her vision again, the bell rang to end lunch. Sammy and Rick stood up from the table where they were sitting, with Mika standing a couple of seconds later. Rick turned back toward Mika and gazed into her eyes with a look of concern. 

"Are you sure it's okay, Mika?" Rick asked. Mika nodded.

"I'll be just fine, Rick," Mika replied. "I'm sorry I scared you like that..."

"If anything's bothering you, just tell me or Sammy, alright?" Rick said, even more concern appearing in his voice. "I promise, anything at all... okay?"

Mika nodded again, but this time, she didn't say a word. As the three young pupils walked back to their classes, the orange-haired woman whom had been speaking to Jekelai was floating several hundred feet above, watching with her keen, scoping eyes, silently stalking her intended prey.

"The perfect time to strike is approaching," said the woman. Her eyes quickly gazed over the roof, but when she saw Mikhail, walking just a few feet behind Sammy, Rick, and Mika, she recoiled slightly, a tiny gasp emanating from her lips. "My gosh, I'm getting some vibes from that boy that I don't like... I don't like them at all... but I mustn't let anything distract me from my mission. Tonight, Rick and Mika... you will be mine."

---

After school, Serena, Rei, Lita, and Mina immediately went to Darien's apartment to help him clean up. It had been several days since Ceyra and Yeika's attack, and the apartment was just starting to return to the condition that it was before it was turned into an impromptu battlefield by the Senshi.

"So, any new developments with Jekelai and his hordes?" asked Rei, as she sat a potted plant down next to Darien's television. "It's been two whole days since any sort of attack has occurred..."

  
"They're planning something, I just know they are," Darien said, with a hint of anger in his voice. "But I just wish I knew what..."

"Probably another attack on Sammy," said Serena. "Hey, you guys... maybe we should transform and follow Sammy and Ami on their little double-date thing. I'd think that it would be the perfect time for bad guys to strike."

"You mean back them up? Like bodyguards?" Lita asked. "Isn't that a bit... I dunno, intrusive?"

"Well, we wouldn't follow _right _behind them," Serena said, sliding one of Darien's couches into place. "We'd follow so that they wouldn't be able to see us. And if any bad guys attacked, we'd kick their butts!"

  
"That's a great idea, Serena," Mina said. "But... one problem. What if they've already left? I don't have a clue where they would go."

"Probably to the movies or something," Serena said. "That's where _every _couple goes on a date."

"Not _every _couple, Serena," Darien replied. "We don't even go to the movies every time we date. Usually we just walk around in the park... or sometimes I follow you to the arcade."  
  
"The arcade!" Serena said, smiling. "Sammy and Rick LOVE the arcade! They're probably there! I mean, Ami's great at arcade games, and-"

"Sammy can be annoying sometimes, but he's not a cad," Rei said. "No boyfriend that loves his girlfriend as much as Sammy loves Ami would drag her to the arcade with him. I don't even think Rick's that mean, and I don't really even know him."

"So... I guess we should probably just start looking in places, then," Mina said. "If we find them, we'll run off to the bathroom or something and transform. Would that be alright?"

"Yeah," Lita said.

"Then, first stop... the arcade!" declared Mina. The other girls and Darien gasped, a confused look appearing on each of their faces.

"But we just said that they _wouldn't _be in the arcade," Rei groaned. "Mina, were you even listening?"

"But... but Andrew's going to be there!" Mina said. The other girls sighed dejectedly.

---

But instead of any of the places the girls and Darien had brainstormed, Sammy, Ami, Rick, and Mika had decided to have their double date at a rather casual location... the local ice cream parlor, just outside Sammy's school. The ice cream parlor was nearly empty, as not very many people were keen on the idea of eating ice cream in the winter. Sammy didn't seem to mind.

"You know, any time of year is right for ice cream!" Sammy said, taking a big bite out of his chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cone. Ami simply smiled and nodded.

"I have to agree with you, Sammy," Ami said, lightly licking the strawberry ice cream that she had decided to eat. "And I like that it's quiet here... this is a much more intimate environment than a lot of other places."

"Yeah, it really is," Mika said. "I'm really enjoying this little date, you guys..."

"I'm glad, Mika," Rick said, smiling at her. "Anything to calm down after the rough time we've been having these last few days... what with the monster attacks, and all. You know, not at this ice cream parlor, but another one... Sammy and me were attacked by a really scary monster!"

Mika gasped.

  
"Really?" she said, her eyes widening. 

  
"Oh, it's not as good as some of the other stories I've got," said Sammy. "Anyway, the monster attacks, and-"

"Hey, Sammy, _I _was telling the story," Rick said indignantly.

"Sorry," Sammy replied. "Continue."

  
"Anyway, this monster attacks, and Sailor Mercury rushes in and freezes the monster!" Rick said. "She saved both of us, that day..."

Mika looked over at Ami, who simply continued to lick her ice cream cone, a look of quiet humility on her face. She turned back to Sammy and Rick.

"Sounds pretty exciting," Mika said, smirking. "Hey... after this, do any of you want to go down to the carnival? It's only going to be in town for a few more days..."

Sammy and Rick looked at each other, then looked back at Mika. It was clear that neither of them had really thought about going, and honestly, neither of them really wanted to go. Before they could say anything, Ami broke the silence herself.

"I'm sure that would be great!" Ami said. "But maybe we should ask Sammy and Rick first..."

"Sure!" they both said at the same time, both wanting to be the first to agree and oblige their girlfriends. 

__

"I guess we could go to the amusement park, if Ami really wants to go..." Sammy thought.

__

"Whpsssht...." thought Rick. _"Whpsssht whpsssht whpsssht..."_

---

"And how are you today, Andrew?" Mina said, leaning over the counter of the arcade's reception desk and talking to Andrew as Serena, Rei, Lita, and Darien watched helplessly.

"Sammy and Ami could be getting tortured right now," Serena said angrily, "and she's talking to her _boyfriend_."

"Well, Sammy and Ami could've been here," said Lita. "And Andrew isn't Mina's boyfriend... well, yet, anyway."

"It's not been very good, Mina," Andrew said, sighing. "After the women's restroom got trashed, we had to shut the men's room down too, since a bunch of girls started complaining and stuff. We'll be without bathrooms for two weeks until the women's restroom is fixed... which isn't very good for customers who like to play games a long time."

"That's terrible!" Mina said, feigning a sad expression. "But... you're doing okay, right?"

  
Andrew started to blush, and Rei began gnashing her teeth together.

"How long is Mina going to keep this up?" Rei growled.

"Shhh!" Serena said, putting her finger to her lips. "Mina will be done soon..."

  
"Where are we gonna go next?" Darien asked. "We should probably check out the movies... that's the most likely place they'll be."

Rei and Serena each grabbed one of Mina's arms and began pulling her away from the counter.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Mina shouted, flailing her arms in protest.

"Say bye-bye to Andrew," Rei said sternly. "Sorry, Andrew, but Mina's got some important business to take care of... come ON, Mina!"

"Guys, maybe you shouldn't...." Andrew stammered as Mina was pulled out the door.

"If you guys don't stop," Mina said as she was dragged outside, "I'm going to shout that I'm being kidnapped, and then you two will be in BIG trouble. Andrew was just about to ask me out!"

"Quit whining, Mina," said Serena. "You'll have plenty of time to talk to Andrew later... Sammy and Ami, and Sammy's friends, are really vulnerable right now, and we have to find them so we can make sure they don't get hurt!"

"I know," Mina protested, "but-"

  
"Guys, I'm getting some evil vibes here," Rei said, her fingers pressed against the sides of her forehead.

  
"Rei, what's the matter?" Lita whispered. "Sensing anything big?"

"I'm not sure," Rei said. "Let me concentrate..."

"Over there!" Darien shouted, pointing to the roof of a nearby building, a medium-sized office directly across the street. There, on the edge of a roof, was the mysterious orange-haired woman, her back facing the four girls and Darien. Though there was no wind, her emerald-green dress flowed behind her, as if being blown by a strong breeze.

  
"That's just some chick on the roof," Serena said. "That's no-"

"The evil forces are coming from that direction," Rei said. "We should transform!"

Serena, now understanding the potential threat that the orange-haired woman posed, led the other girls and Tuxedo Mask into a nearby alley. After looking around to confirm that no one could see them, they quickly transformed and began pursuing the woman. As they approached the building, the woman leapt down off of the roof and began walking briskly down the sidewalk, garnering stares and gasps from several bystanders. 

"We should definitely follow her," Sailor Moon whispered. "But let's try not to confront her in public unless we absolutely have to..."

---

But Sammy, Ami, Rick, and Mika still continued to be far away from both the Senshi's suspicions and Jekelai's ambitions, as they walked around the carnival and gazed at the various rides.

"I wonder which one we should go on first?" Mika asked. "Wait... I know what we should go on! Let's go on the Ferris wheel, you guys... it's such a romantic ride, and it's not really very fast..."

"I want to go on that ride!" Sammy said eagerly, pointing at a large, spinning ride that resembled a flying saucer and was decorated with hundreds of colorful, flashing lights. "It's called the Gravitron."

  
"That ride is awesome, Sammy!" Rick said. But as Mika saw the ride, with its incredibly fast rotational motion, she shook her head.

  
"I can't, you guys... it's way too fast," Mika said.

"I'm not so sure I want to go on the ride either," Ami said, looking over at Mika. "I'm sure that it won't hurt any of us, but... I don't want to leave Mika all by herself."

"But it's such a fun ride!" Sammy said. "Mika, you'll love it..."

"No, no, I won't," Mika said. "I won't like it, and I won't go on the ride, end of story."

"Mika, pleeeeeeeease?" Rick pleaded, facing Mika while taking one of her hands in both of his own. "I promise that it won't hurt you... and it's not really that scary..."

"Now, you shouldn't push Mika into going on a ride that she doesn't want to go on," Ami said. "Let's just ride the Ferris wheel, like Mika wanted."

"No, no, that's okay," Mika said. She looked up at Rick. "Alright, I'll go... but the moment that it starts to get too scary, I want off, do you hear me?"  


Rick nodded.

"I promise, Mika, it won't be scary," said Rick. "I'll stand next to you the whole time."

"Stand?" Mika asked, confused. "Wait, this is a standing ride?"

"When we get inside, I'll show you," Rick said. The Gravitron stopped spinning, and a small door on the front of the ride opened up, allowing the people that were inside to step back out. As Sammy and Ami climbed into the ride, Mika poked one of the people leaving the ride on the shoulder, causing them to turn around.

"Um... is this ride scary?" Mika asked politely. "I mean, how scary is it? It's not scary, is it?"  


"Of course it's scary!" said the person Mika had tapped, a tall, muscular looking boy about two or three years older than Mika was. "The Gravitron is the scariest ride in the whole carnival!"

The boy laughed and re-joined his friends, a group of muscular young men who were wearing letter jackets, indicating their affiliation with athletics of some sort. Mika turned back toward Rick, but he was already inside the ride, leaning up against the wall of the ride and pointing to a spot next to him.

"Mika, I saved you a spot, c'mon!" Rick said. Mika quickly ran over to Rick as the ride's door closed. She leaned up against the wall of the ride, where a bed of padding had been placed there to rest one's head and body during the ride. The inside of the Gravitron was simply a dark, enclosed space about ten feet high, with space for about thirty people to lean up against the wall. 

"Rick, the person I asked said that this was a really scary ride," Mika said nervously.

"Mika, it's alright," Rick said, trying to comfort Mika. As he looked at her, he could see a genuine look of fear on her face, and for a second, he wondered if it was really a good idea for Mika to be on the ride with him. But he put that question aside and simply tried his best to reassure Mika.

"It's about to start!" Sammy said, standing inbetween Ami and Rick as a man dressed completely in black, wearing Goth-like white makeup and adorned with several body piercings stepped into the small control console at the center of the ride. He picked up the small microphone in the control console and began to speak into it.

"Is everybody ready?" the man shouted.

__

"No," Mika whispered silently.

"This ride is gonna go as fast as I can crank it, and it ain't gonna stop for nothin'!" shouted the man. Several cheers and shouts sounded from the ride's passengers. Mika's eyes widened, and as she frantically turned toward Rick to tell him that she wanted off of the ride, an extremely loud song, Metallica's 'St. Anger', began to blare through the ride's speakers, drowning out Mika's voice. The Gravitron began to spin.

"**** it all and (Mika: Rick...) no regrets, I've hit (Mika: I....) the lights on these dark sets (Mika: want....), medallion noose, go (Mika: off!) hang myself, St. Anger 'round my neck..."

"Mika, what did you say?" Rick shouted, trying to hear her over the blaring speakers as the ride became faster and faster. 

"Rick, I said I want... oh my God, oh my God, oh my God..."

As the ride neared its top speed, the floor seemed to drop out from under Sammy, Ami, Rick, and Mika. As Sammy and Rick shouted in excitement, Ami gasped, and Mika let out a loud scream.

  
"Rick, now you've done it!" Mika shouted, struggling to be heard over the song. "I told you I didn't want to go on this-"

"Mika, it's okay," Rick said, gripping Mika's hand as the platforms that they were leaning against hit the ceiling of the ride.

"I think I know what's going on!" Ami shouted. "Mika, you see, this ride operates on centripetal forces. As the ride spins and gains in velocity, the centripetal force grows strong enough to push you against the wall so that you don't fall down when the platforms lift up. That's also why it feels like you weigh about 500 pounds..."

Mika nodded, seemingly hearing Ami's explanation. But as she did, a different sensation began to course through her body. As the ride gradually slowed down, and the platforms dropped back down to the bottom of the ride, Mika clutched her stomach and put her other hand to her lips. Once the ride finally stopped and the music switched off, Mika groaned loudly.

"Rick, I think I'm going to throw up," Mika said, her face beginning to turn green. "I told you we shouldn't have gone on this ride!"

  
"Oh dear," Ami said quietly.

"Mika, I'm sorry," Rick said as he and Mika stepped off the ride. "I shouldn't have-"

"You're absolutely right you shouldn't have, Rick!" Mika shouted, angrily marching down the stairs that led down from the ride. "Ugh... I'm gonna be sick..." 

Mika ran behind the Gravitron. Rick began to follow her, but Sammy's hand in front of his chest formed a barricade, stopping Rick in his tracks.

"Mika needs to be alone," Sammy said. 

"You wanted to go on that ride just as much as I did, Sammy!" Rick said defensively. "Geez, Sammy, you're just as responsible for Mika being sick as I am."

"Both of you need to stop fighting," Ami said. "Let's just let Mika have a couple minutes alone, and then you can go apologize to her, Rick... okay?"

Rick nodded, his face weighted down with sadness and regret.

__

"How could I do that to her..." Rick thought. _"I made her go on that ride when I should've just went on the Ferris wheel like Mika wanted... I'll be lucky if she ever wants to even speak to me again..."_

---

Meanwhile, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask continued to pursue the orange-haired woman through the city. After making several turns, and walking down several streets, the woman finally walked toward an old, abandoned factory building. The building was boarded up, but as she reached the main entrance, she fired a blast of magical energy at the boarded door, opening a large entryway into the building. As she walked inside, the Senshi gasped.

"She IS one of them, I knew it!" Sailor Mars shouted. "My visions never lie..."

  
"Quick, let's go after her!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. The four Senshi and Darien quickly pursued the woman into the building. Once they got inside, they looked around. The entryway led to a large, empty, dirty-looking room with several broken windows. Pieces of glass lay strewn about the floor, and the Senshi were careful to watch their step. As they began to walk, the barely made it a few feet when the woman leapt down in front of them, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Alright, you... you'd better tell us who you are and what you're doing in Juuban, right now!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"Fine, fine, be that way," the woman said casually. "My name is Pyretta... I am one of the Pale Mercenaries, working exclusively in Jekelai's employ."

Not satisfied with Pyretta's answer, Sailor Venus offered up another question.

"We know that you guys are here to hurt Sammy's friends, since that's all you've been doing since you've gotten here," said Sailor Venus. "The jig is up! What are _you _going to try to do? Don't try and escape... we've got you cornered!"

  
"Girls, girls, girls, haven't you heard of innocent until proven guilty?" Pyretta asked. "I'm offended. And besides, it's not me you should be going after..."

Suddenly, a huge blaze of fire engulfed Pyretta's body, temporarily blinding the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask, who had to look away to avoid hurting their eyes. When they looked back, Pyretta was gone.

"What does she mean by... not her?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "Strange..."

"Senshi, she's probably already found Sammy!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "We've got to find Sammy and Ami before it's too late!"

---

"Jekelai... you look as if you're troubled by something."

Jekelai, who had been reading from an ancient, brown-covered book, looked up to see the face of his employer, whose identity remained a secret to all but Jekelai. 

"I sent Pyretta out two days ago, and she still hasn't reported back to me," Jekelai said in a monotone voice. "What has she been doing?"

  
"She's one of your mercenaries, Jekelai... you tell me."

"She typically is cold and calculating... well, hot and calculating is what I should say, her being a fire element and all."

  
"Jekelai, I should be the troubled one. I have yet to receive any sign that you are closer to getting me that Dark Crystal, besides the fact that I know who it belongs to."

"Drawing out the crystal takes time, I already told you that," Jekelai said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to return to my reading."

As Jekelai looked back down at his book, his employer stared straight into his eyes.

"It's something else troubling you," said Jekelai's employer. "She's close. This girl following you, Sparrow Migoto... she has found you, Jekelai. You know it, and I can sense it. I can sense it in your eyes."

---

__

"And how is my little slave girl today?" Jekelai asked, looking down at the chained-up Sparrow with a glare of contempt.

"Go to hell," Sparrow replied. Without a word, Jekelai backhanded Sparrow across the face. Then, he struck her again, causing a thin stream of blood to slowly trickle down from Sparrow's lip.

"I will not tolerate any sort of disobedience on your part, do you understand?" Jekelai shouted. "You WILL be my assassin, Sparrow... and until then, you will remain a slave, nothing more than scum to me. I am more than willing to break you completely... even kill you. Without you, my life is absolutely no worse than it would be with you alive."

"Without me," Sparrow said, "you don't have an assassin."

In less than a second, a large, curved blade was placed at Sparrow's throat. When she realized what the blade was, she gasped.  
  
"That's my sword..." Sparrow whispered, observing the intricate runes on the well-crafted blade. "But how did you-"

  
"That is none of your business," Jekelai said. "You have lived by this sword, Sparrow, and unless you are willing to wield it for me and ONLY me, you will die by this sword. Do I make myself clear?"

---

As the weeks passed, Jekelai tormented Sparrow. He beat her almost every day, and every thirty-six hours he would replace the Ultinius seal on Sparrow's forehead, sealing her powers. One day, however, he placed a different seal on her forehead. 

"This is the seal of Lunacius," Jekelai said. "It will not strip you completely of your powers. Instead, you will retain 10%, which is enough for you to train but not nearly enough for you to escape, so don't even try. It will also be insufficient to break through these..."

Jekelai pointed to large, silver manacles, which he had placed on Sparrow's wrists, chaining them together in front of her. 

"Though that metal may appear to be silver, it is, in fact, Naiusinum, one of the strongest substances in the universe," Jekelai said. "You will not be able to break them, even at 10% of your full power."

"Watch me," Sparrow said through clenched teeth. She struggled with the manacles for several minutes, desperately trying to break them. But they held strong, and Sparrow received bruised and bloodied wrists for her efforts. Jekelai smiled, and then dragged Sparrow, who was now thrashing and cursing, into a large, thickly-walled room inside the castle. The room appeared to be a training area, and sure enough, several of Jekelai's toughest mercenaries were busily working out with various weapons. He pushed Sparrow into the room, and then, with a flick of his wrist, tossed her sword in with her. She picked it up in her hands just as Jekelai slammed and locked the door behind her.

"If you can kill all of my mercenaries, you will survive, Sparrow Migoto!" boomed Jekelai's voice throughout the room. "Show no mercy!"

---

Outside the amusement park, Sammy and Ami were saying their goodbyes to Rick and Mika. After throwing up behind the Gravitron, Mika had scolded Rick a second time, and then refused to talk to him for the rest of the time that the two couples were in the park.

"Rick, I really hope things between you and Mika go well," Sammy said, as he and Ami turned to walk back toward Ami's house. 

"Yes.... Mika, Rick, please try to patch things up," Ami said sweetly. "And thank you both for coming... it really was a great afternoon..."

  
"Bye, Sammy," Rick said dejectedly. "Bye, Ami..."

  
"Goodbye, you guys," Mika said, walking off in the other direction. "And goodbye, Rick."

"Mika..." Rick said quietly, watching her as she walked down the sidewalk. He turned around to try and call out for Sammy and Ami, but they had already turned the corner, heading for home. Rick sighed, and turned around to walk across the street, hoping to cut through some of the parking lots and lawns to find the shortest way home. But as he began to walk down the street, a large, blunt object smacked across the back of his head. Before he even had the time to scream, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he passed out, his limp body smacking against the asphalt of the road. Mika, having heard the attack on Rick, quickly turned around. When she saw Rick's limp form on the road, she quickly ran toward him.

  
"Rick!" shouted Mika. "Oh my gosh, what happened to... mmph!"

A damp rag was pressed against Mika's nose and mouth from behind. The rag was being held by a tall, cloaked man, one of Jekelai's mercenaries. As the sweet smell of chloroform entered Mika's nose, and as she began to fall unconscious, she could see another cloaked man, holding a large two-by-four in his hand. He grabbed Rick by the legs and began dragging him across the road. That was the last thing Mika saw before she passed out as well. 

And watching the abductions with a large smile on her face was Pyretta, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"That's it," Pyretta said. "You're both mine, now... but don't worry. You'll have a front-row seat to witness the emergence of the Dark Crystal from the body of your foolish friend, Sammy Tsukino!"

---

Poor Rick and Mika... poor poor Rick and Mika... will Sammy save them? Will the clueless Sailor Senshi find Sammy and Ami before they're attacked as well? Or will Rick and Mika die a horrible death? Poor, poor Rick and Mika...


	8. Walking Into A Trap

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

When Rick finally awoke, he immediately surveyed his surroundings. The room around him was huge, and the one or two lights in the room didn't do much to brighten up the room's dim interior. The huge room was quite dusty as well, and as dust entered Rick's nasal cavity, he struggled to keep himself from sneezing. As he came even more to his senses, his head began throbbing, and he felt a large pain emanating from the back of his head.

"Ugh... oh, geez... my head..." Rick moaned. But as he tried to reach up to touch his wound, he found that he couldn't budge his arms an inch. He looked back to discover that his arms were firmly bound behind his back with course, thick rope, securely tied in place to a large, metallic pole that reached all the way up to the ceiling. His legs were also bound, his ankles secured to a strong metallic loop that protruded from the floor. As he looked behind him again, he could see another set of hands bound to the pole as well. He gasped when he realized who was sitting right beside him. "Mika!"

  
A weak moan sounded from behind Rick, as his shouting had awoken Mika from her chloroform-induced slumber. As her eyes slowly opened, she quickly looked around to see that she was in the same predicament that Rick was. She turned her head at the same time that Rick did, and their eyes met, both of their faces etched with the same terrified expression.

"Rick, what's going on?" Mika asked, her voice beginning to tremble. "Were we... kidnapped?"

  
Rick nodded.

  
"It seems that way, Mika," Rick said softly. 

Mika turned away from Rick, bowed her head, and began to sob. Rick immediately felt a sense of sadness, as his girlfriend, who had been so happy at the start of their date, and then had gotten so angry at him, was now afraid for her life... probably even more than he was. 

"Sammy... he's the reason they've kidnapped us, Mika," Rick said, a hint of anger beginning to show in his voice. "He did something to piss those bad guys off, and now they're coming after us!"

"Rick, no...." Mika said, reaching behind the pole as far as she could and grasping one of Rick's hands in her own, as tears coursed down her face. "Don't blame Sammy for this... you can't blame Sammy, it's not his fault at all..."

"Oh, Mika, I'm so sorry about the way I treated you today..." Rick said regretfully, gripping Mika's hand slightly harder. "I was a jerk to you, and I shouldn't have made you go on that stupid ride, because it scared you, and it made you throw up, and-"

"Well, I didn't... exactly throw up," Mika said, her voice cheering up a bit. "I was about to throw up, but somehow, I didn't. And now I'm feeling a bit better... well, except for the headache from that stuff they put over my mouth.... Rick, it's alright, I forgive you..."

"I won't let them hurt you, Mika," Rick said. "No matter what any of those sick, twisted villains to do me, I swear I won't let them hurt you! I promise!"

"We'll... we'll be okay, Rick..." Mika said, her hand still clutching Rick's. "Are... are you okay? You've got a nasty gash on the back of your head..."

"I... I do?" Rick asked, but sighing as he realized he couldn't reach up to inspect his wound. "I guess that's why it hurts so much..."

"The Sailor Senshi... they'll come save us, Rick," Mika said quietly, blinking a tear away from her eye. "And... and Sammy will come too."

"That's precisely what I hope happens!" said Pyretta, appearing in front of Mika in a loud burst of flame, causing Mika to let out a loud scream. "You know, the Senshi were just here in this factory... I sent them after a couple of my men, though. They'll be chasing them all over town!"

"You won't get away with this!" Rick said through clenched teeth. Pyretta smirked and walked around to face Rick, leaning down in front of the boy and sensually stroking his sweat-covered face with her hand.

"I'm not getting away with this... I'm getting away with the Dark Crystal," Pyretta said tauntingly. "Because when Sammy comes, I'll have several more mercenaries here, waiting for him. Along with me. And then, we'll beat him to within an inch of his life, until he's completely helpless! And then do you know what I'm going to do?"

"Don't even think about it, you stupid bitch..." Rick spat. Pyretta growled in rage and grabbed Rick by the jaw, digging her razor-sharp fingernails into his flesh, breaking his skin in several places and causing blood to begin seeping down his face.

"I'm going to kill you, AND your shrieking little girlfriend Mika, and I'm going to force Sammy to watch. And I'm going to do it slowly... slowly... slowly... so many negative emotions, the anger, the sadness, the pain, the HATRED-"

"STOP!" Mika screamed, thrashing about angrily in an attempt to break free of her bonds, as tears came gushing in streams down her face. "Leave Rick and Sammy alone! Just go away!"

Pyretta released her grip on Rick's face and slowly stepped back, away from the two terrified and trembling teenagers.

"Alright, I will go away," Pyretta said casually. "I'm going to go invite Sammy to our happy little party now. Toodles!"

And, with another burst of flames, Pyretta disappeared from the factory, leaving Rick and Mika alone to ponder their fate.

---

Meanwhile, Sammy was standing on Ami's porch, saying goodbye to his lover after the fun afternoon that they'd had.

"Goodbye, Sammy," Ami said, leaning out of the doorway and briefly kissing Sammy on the lips. "I really hope that your friends can patch up their relationship..."

"I've never seen Rick and Mika fight before," Sammy replied, nodding his head. "I'm sure they'll be back to normal soon... I mean, all couples fight and argue sometimes, right?"

"We've never had a big argument, Sammy," Ami stated.

"Thank goodness for that," Sammy said, obviously grateful that he and Ami had never really had a serious argument. The only time they'd ever yelled at one another was during the heat of battle, out of concern for the other's life... and Sammy hoped that they'd never even do that again. He kissed Ami once more, and then gently shut the door, turning and walking away from Ami's house and strolling down the sidewalk to his own home. He'd barely walked a block when a large burst of flames appeared several feet in front of him.

  
"Holy crap!" Sammy shouted, taking several steps backward and shielding his eyes from the bright flames. "What the..."

"Sammy Tsukino, you are cordially invited to the abandoned Juuban Takeshi Toyota Factory!" Pyretta shouted, a large smile on her face. "What's the occasion? Why, to save the lives of your friends Rick and Mika, of course! I hope you'll be there... because if you don't come, I can't guarantee that-"

Sammy's face lit up with rage as Pyretta mentioned that his friends Rick and Mika were in danger.

"What have you done to them?" Sammy shouted frantically.

"Nothing... yet," Pyretta said. "But if you don't come, I'll kill them both. That's a guarantee! Oh, and by the way... NONE of the Sailor Senshi, including your stupid girlfriend Sailor Mercury, are invited. If they crash the party, Rick and Mika are toast! I'll be expecting you soon...."

Sammy ran at Pyretta, but it was too late. As Pyretta disappeared, the large column of flames that her departure generated blasted Sammy back, knocking him down to the sidewalk. He slowly picked himself up and dusted himself off.

"Rick... Mika... hang on, you guys! I'm coming!" Sammy shouted with determination. "But first..."  
  
Instead of going to the factory immediately, he rushed toward his home. He knew exactly what he was going to get... he had to have it. The sword that he'd been given by Alexis... it saved Ami's life, and now it was going to save the lives of Rick and Mika. At least... that's what he hoped.

---

"We've got you two cornered now!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Give it up!"

As soon as Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and Tuxedo Mask had left the factory, they had spotted two identical-looking men with long, black hair, wearing similar blue uniforms. The Senshi had chased the two suspicious men into a narrow alleyway, and now had them pinned up against a brick wall. The two men, seeing that they were trapped, pointed their arms at the Senshi.

"You will not get in Lord Jekelai's way!" shouted the first man.

  
"The Dark Crystal will be ours!" shouted the second. As soon as they had said those words, they fired a large, red, magical blast at the Senshi.

"Mars Flame Cannon!"  
  
"Jupiter Thunder Axe!"

  
The powerful combination of fire blasts and lightning-infused axes easily nullified the large red blast. Then, Sailor Venus stepped up, with a large, golden bow in her hand.

"Venus Arrow Of Beauty!" Sailor Venus shouted. Two powerful arrows sliced through the air and headed straight for the two men, hitting them in the chest and disintegrating both of them on contact. Venus lowered her bow and smiled in approval.

"Great job, Sailor V!" Sailor Moon said, giving Sailor Venus the thumbs-up. "We've stopped them from hurting Sammy and Ami! Excellent work!"

  
"Uh, Sailor Moon... I think that those two guys may have been a diversion," Tuxedo Mask said worriedly. Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars nodded in agreement.

"We'd better use our communicators and call up Sailor Mercury to see if she's okay," said Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Mars gasped.

  
"That's what we should've done in the first place!" Sailor Mars said. "But wait... we didn't really want to disturb them on their date, now did we...?"

"Better do it now, Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Mask said. Sailor Moon nodded and pressed the small button on the side of the communicator device that was located on her wrist.

"Sailor Mercury, you there?" Sailor Moon said. "Come in, Sailor Mercury..."

---

  
Ami, meanwhile, had just gone into her room to change her clothes when the communicator on her wrist began to beep. She lifted it up to her lips.

"Serena?" Ami said quietly. "Is something the matter?"

  
"Oh my gosh, thank goodness.... are you and Sammy okay?" Sailor Moon asked. Ami nodded.

  
"Yes, we are," Ami said. "In fact, Sammy just dropped me off at home... why?"

"What about Sammy's friends, Rick and Mika? Are they okay?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they are," Ami replied. "We left them at the carnival and then headed back home...."

"Well, this fire chick showed up... we chased her down to this factory, but then poof... she was gone! She left us two guys to fight, so we left the factory and chased them into an alley... but Sailor Venus got them," Sailor Moon said. "Ami, we think they might've been some kind of diversion... and that you could still be in danger. We're heading back for the factory now to pick up clues, but we're going to make a pit stop at Rei's temple to wait for you, okay? Please transform into Sailor Mercury and come right away!"

"I will," Ami said. "Just... don't tell Sammy about this, alright? I don't want him to get hurt..."

---

"Sammy, what are you doing?" Sammy's mother asked gently, knocking on Sammy's bedroom door, which he had closed and locked as he removed his large katana from under his bed.

"I'm going out," Sammy replied.

"Again?" Sammy's mother asked. "But we're just about to start eating supper... it's going to have to wait, okay? At least until you're done eating."

"But it _can't _wait, mom!" Sammy protested. "Mom, please, you've gotta understand..."

"Sammy Tsukino, you open this door right this instant!" shouted Sammy's mother as Sammy slowly walked over to the window and began to open it. "I'm warning you!"

"Sorry, mom," Sammy said, leaning out the window. "I gotta run... later!"

  
Sammy leaped out the window and began running down the street, his sword inside a large sheath that he had strapped to his back. Sammy's mother, tired of waiting for Sammy to open his door, slid a credit card through the gap separating his door from the wall and opened the door herself, walking into his room to see the window wide open, but no sign of Sammy.

__

"Sammy..." Sammy's mother thought, leaning outside the window. _"You haven't snuck out like this since... you went to rescue Ami from those villains that you were talking about that once time six months ago... this is one of those Sailor Senshi things, isn't it? Oh... Sammy..."_

A tear slid down Sammy's mother's face as her heart slowly began to sink to the pit of her stomach.

---

"There it is," Sammy said to himself. "The Juuban Takeshi Toyota Factory..."

Sammy knew where the factory was only because he'd passed by it so many times walking to school. Every single day he walked by it, he never in his wildest dreams could have imagined that the abandoned factory may one day become the scene of his demise... but that was the one thought in his mind now. He let out a long sigh and pushed open the doors that led into the building.

__

"Please let Rick and Mika be okay..." Sammy prayed silently. As he entered the factory, a series of loud, muffled screams immediately alerted his attention to the center of the room. There, Sammy saw Rick and Mika, both of them bound to the large metal pole in the center of the room. Sometime after Pyretta had left, one of her mercenaries had placed long strips of white tape over the mouths of both Rick and Mika, preventing them from signaling to Sammy that he was walking into a trap. He didn't get that message until a large boot slammed into the side of his face, sending him sprawling across the room before he could even get close to Rick and Mika. Sammy hit the ground hard on his back, and as he did, he was immediately rushed by three tall, hooded men. They ran up to Sammy and began stomping him violently, assaulting his face, chest, and stomach. As they did, the man who had kicked Sammy, a man with short, spiked, dark red hair, who was about Sammy's height, walked over to Sammy to survey the beating that the young man was getting.

"Pyretta, you certainly do give me the easiest jobs," said the man. A large, blazing column of flames appeared next to him, and with them, Pyretta.

"Well, Diaxis," said Pyretta, running her hand through her hair, "you never ask for the hard ones."

"Get off of me!" Sammy shouted angrily, rising to his feet with incredible strength and causing the three men to leap back several feet. In a split-second, Sammy unsheathed his sword, and Diaxis groaned in annoyance.

"I thought you wanted a hard job, Diaxis," said Pyretta. "So, Sammy... you showed up after all."

Three more cloaked men stepped out of the shadows and stood behind Pyretta. Sammy was now facing off against eight of Jekelai's mercenaries: Pyretta, Diaxis, and the six hooded men. He couldn't help but tremble, if only slightly. But he continued to stand tall, determined to rescue his friends.

"Stop... stop hurting my friends!" Sammy shouted angrily, holding his katana out in front of him. "Let Rick and Mika go!"

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," said Pyretta, a devilish smile still pasted onto her lips, "you know I can't do that. Hmm... where have I seen this before? No, wait, I haven't seen this before... but you have, Sammy."

Sammy stood and blinked his eyes for a few seconds, a puzzled look on his face.

__

"What does she mean by that?" Sammy thought. _"Oh my gosh... wait a minute, she can't possibly mean..."_

Sammy looked around and surveyed his surroundings. A large, dark room... his two friends tightly secured to a fixed point in the room, helplessly looking on... adversaries all around him... there were some differences, but... yes, Sammy had seen this before. 

"This is almost exactly like when I faced Alexis," Sammy said, his voice nearly reduced to a whisper.

"History does repeat itself, Sammy," said Pyretta. "Well, except that this time, it's not one-on-one, Sammy. It's eight-on-one. But we don't want to kill you... oh no, definitely not that, Sammy. The crystal is what we're after."

"I'm telling you, I don't have any crystal!" Sammy shouted, anger welling up inside of him. Of course he had the crystal, they wouldn't be attacking him if he didn't, but maybe if he played dumb...

"Diaxis, tear him apart," Pyretta said, leaping back to observe the ensuing battle from a same distance. "I'll be waiting."

"You heard her, men!" Diaxis shouted to his crowd of six hooded mercenaries. "Attack!"

  
The six men rushed Sammy, their eyes reflecting a collective mood of swift and deadly precision. Sammy gasped.

"I can't do this..." Sammy said to himself. For a brief moment, he looked back toward the center of the room, where Rick and Mika were both frozen with fear, tears streaming down Mika's face as she closed her eyes, not wanting to see Sammy get hurt. But there was something different in Rick's eyes... he looked... almost... angry. "I won't let you down!"

In one swift, charging motion, Sammy leapt forward, plunging his sword into the chest of one of the men. Clearly, none of them had been expecting Sammy's attack, and for the mercenary that Sammy had stabbed, it was already too late. He fell off of Sammy's sword and collapsed to the ground, dead in an instant.

But Sammy's happiness at his defeat of one of the men was quickly short-lived as a hard kick to the side of Sammy's face sent him back down to the ground, and the katana flew from his hands. Now, as he hit the ground, he could feel the extent of the earlier attack on his body, as several painful bruises had already started to appear on his body. As he tried to stand, a small blast of magical energy hit Sammy in the side, causing him to roll over and come to a stop next to his sword.

__

"That really hurt..." Sammy thought as he looked at the large burned spot on his side, caused by the blast. It was a bad second-degree burn, and Sammy knew that it would begin to blister in a very short amount of time. _"I'd better get my sword!"_

Sammy placed his right hand on the hilt of the blade and gripped it tightly as he started to climb up from the ground. But a painful stomp to the small of his back quickly stopped him in his tracks and sprawled him out on the ground once again, a pained groan emanating from his throat.

"You should be proud, Sammy," said Diaxis, walking over to Sammy as the mercenary who had stepped on him kept him pressed to the ground with his large, powerful foot. "You killed one of the Pale Mercenaries. Not too many people can say that they've done that. Of course, not too many people who have done it are still alive. So, in the end, I guess it all evens out."

By now, Diaxis was standing right in front of Sammy. Sammy looked up, trying to get a better look at his tormentor. As soon as his eyes met Diaxis', he received an extremely hard kick to the face from Diaxis' large, brown boot. Sammy's head snapped to the side as Diaxis' foot followed through. When Sammy finally pulled his head back, he could taste the large stream of blood that was now gushing down from his nose and into his mouth, and he knew immediately that Diaxis' kick had broken his nose. Then, Sammy did something that he never thought he would do, at least simply because of pain. A tear slid down his cheek, and Sammy began to cry. Diaxis stepped back, and a slightly sympathetic look appeared on his face.

__

"Is Pyretta really sure that this is the right child?" Diaxis thought. "Pyretta, the child is crying. I kicked him, and now he's crying."

"So?" Pyretta shouted. "That's good! It's a sign that the Dark Crystal is about to emerge! Kick him again!"

Diaxis hesitated for a second. In that second, the mercenary that had been pinning Sammy to the ground stomped him in the back again, and Sammy let out a loud scream of anguish as his entire body flared up with immense pain.

"Sammy!" Mika shouted, her loud, desperate cry muffled by the tape over her lips. Diaxis walked away from Sammy and began briskly walking over to Mika. 

__

"I can't help them..." Sammy thought, weakly trying to stand as the mercenary's foot pressed against his back. _"It's all my fault..."_

"Will you shut up?" Diaxis shouted, slapping Mika hard across the face and eliciting a muffled scream of protest from Rick. "And you shut up too!"

  
"THAT DOES IT!" Sammy shouted, a feeling of renewed vigor, mixing with anger and overtaking his entire body. He firmly grasped the hilt of his katana and swung it backwards, slashing off the leg of the mercenary and freeing his back. Then, Sammy stood up and stabbed the katana through the mercenary's chest, killing him and causing Diaxis to turn around and gasp.

__

"So he does possess the Dark Crystal..." Diaxis thought. _"Pyretta was correct..."_

The other four mercenaries all looked at each other, puzzled about what to do next as the furious-looking Sammy stormed toward them.

"Don't just stand there!" Diaxis roared. "Take him out!"

The four mercenaries did as they were told. But now, Sammy was fighting with a purpose. His face had taken on a look of anger, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits, and his lips curled into a lupine growl. As four blasts of magical energy were fired at him, Sammy swatted them away with his sword, and then leapt upon the four mercenaries, cutting them all down with one mighty slash of his katana. The bodies of the six mercenaries were all at Sammy's feet as Diaxis approached him, all sympathy removed from his face.

"It's coming out, Diaxis!" Pyretta shouted. "Don't fail me now..."

"This boy is no match for me," Diaxis said, extending his arms and holding them about two feet apart from one another. "Watch."

A field of black electricity formed between Diaxis' hands, crackling and sparking. Sammy seemed completely unshaken, and stood just a few steps away from Diaxis, beckoning him closer. Diaxis smiled.

"That's just what I've been waiting for, Sammy," Diaxis said. Suddenly, the field of electricity disappeared from Diaxis' hands. Instead, it had engulfed Sammy. The large field of electricity shocked Sammy and caused him to cry out as he fell to the ground, landing on his knees and breathing heavily.

"I... I have to do this..." Sammy breathed. "I've gotta help Rick and Mika!"

Diaxis kicked Sammy hard across the chest, knocking him to the ground and causing him to skid next to the bodies of two of the mercenaries that he had felled earlier. He slowly rose to his feet, but the spark that had spurred him to battle earlier seemed to be dimming fast.

"What's happening to me?" Sammy said. "I was able to kill all of those bad guys before... why not now?"

  
"It's all about power, Sammy," Diaxis said. "They didn't have it, and you did. But now, I have more."

"Just beat him into absolute submission so that I can start torturing his stupid friends," Pyretta said.

"They're not stupid!" Sammy shouted, angrily rushing toward Pyretta.

"Not so fast!" Diaxis yelled, striking Sammy in the cheek with his fist and causing him to stagger back. "You've still got to deal with me, first."

With a loud yell, Sammy rushed at Diaxis again, and again, he was punched. This time, the punch hit Sammy straight on the tip of his broken nose, and Sammy was forced to the ground, painfully clutching his face. 

__

"Sammy... come on, you have to beat this guy!" Rick thought, watching with dismay the battle between Sammy and Diaxis, while tightly gripping Mika's trembling hand in a futile attempt to ease her fears.

__

"No matter what happens, Sammy... we'll still be your friends... I know I'll be," Mika thought.

A large, dark circle of purple light lit up below Sammy. Then, a bright explosion engulfed his body, blasting him up into the air. He hit the ground hard on his face, his body severely bruised and burned in several places. He was about ready to pass out.

"Alright, Pyretta, I think I've done it," Diaxis said, walking over to Sammy. "He's completely helpless now."

  
Sammy tried to stand, but the huge amount of pain in his body prevented him from doing anything at this point, except holding onto the hilt of his katana.

__

"I can't let this be the end... I can't let Rick and Mika down... I can't let my sister down... and... Ami... Ami, I can't let you see me like this..."

Ami loved him... Sammy knew Ami loved him, and he knew that if something happened to him, it would tear her apart, just like it would tear him apart if anything ever happened to Ami. 

__

"There's too much riding on this battle... to give up now... I have to keep fighting!"

Diaxis triumphantly walked over to Sammy... and that's when Sammy's katana stabbed straight through his chest. Diaxis let out a gasp of pain and shock, and looked down to see Sammy, standing on one knee and holding up his katana as high as he could, somehow finding the strength in the depths of his body to run Diaxis through. Diaxis fell off of Sammy's sword and hit the ground, a thin stream of blood trickling from the side of his mouth.

  
"How... did.... how could this happen?" Diaxis gasped. "It's... not fair..."

  
Diaxis' eyes closed. He was dead. Pyretta gasped and pointed her arm at Sammy.

"Looks like you need a little bit more tenderizing!" Pyretta shrieked, 

Suddenly, Pyretta's hand lit up with a bright red glow, and a large burst of flame engulfed Sammy, causing him to scream loudly. After a few seconds, the flames stopped, and Sammy fell to the ground, the katana falling from his hands and clattering loudly as it hit the floor. His bruised, burned, and battered body had finally had enough. Rick and Mika, who, for just one second, had rejoiced as Diaxis had fallen, had now given up all hope. Mika simply fell unconscious, her grip on Rick's hand loosening as her fingers fell limp. Rick started to scream, but then bowed his head toward the ground, hopelessly. Pyretta cackled victoriously. 

"I've done it!" Pyretta shouted. Sammy, who hadn't quite passed out, simply moaned, his voice nearly spent as well. Despite the massive damage to his body, he felt no pain, except for one... a sharp, burning pain that tugged at the center of his body, making it feel as if Sammy was being eaten from within. Sammy had felt this pain before... most recently when he had to suffer the disappointment of not getting to eat Ami's cookies. This feeling, however, was much stronger.

__

"That... that must be what the Dark Crystal feels like..." Sammy thought, realizing now that he truly had something evil inside of him... and it was eating away at him every single second.

"Darn, the girl passed out," Pyretta said, now standing next to Mika and inspecting her unconscious form as Rick began another tirade of muffled shouts directed at the orange-haired mercenary. "I'll get to you in a second... right after I wake up your little girlfriend. Hmm... maybe fire would-"

  
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!"

"What the fu-"

Several large torrents of chilling water washed over Pyretta and knocked her backward, away from Rick and Mika. She turned toward the entrance of the factory, and gasped. Standing there, in the doorway, were the five Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask, arriving at last. Sailor Mercury stood at the forefront of the Senshi, and she had been the one that had attacked Pyretta just a few seconds ago. Pyretta, drenched in both water and ice, angrily walked toward the Senshi, puddles of water forming behind her.

"So, you actually came back here," Pyretta said, lighting up in a burst of flame that evaporated the water covering her body. 

"We only meant to come back for clues," Sailor Moon said. "We didn't think you'd actually be here... but in the name of the Moon, we'll punish you!"

Mika opened her eyes again and looked, along with Rick, to see the Sailor Senshi. Her eyes lit up with hope, and Rick's eyes lit up as well.

__

"It's about time you guys got here," Rick thought.

Sammy had noticed the Senshi as well. Gathering all of the strength in his body, he slowly began to rise up, ignoring the sharp pain in his chest, and the pains that quickly rushed in from the rest of his body as he climbed to his feet. But somehow, someway, he was able to climb into a standing position. As soon as Sailor Mercury saw him, and the condition that he was in, she gasped in fright and rushed to his side.

"Oh my God, Sammy!" Sailor Mercury screamed, tightly wrapping her arms around Sammy's chest and hugging him as tightly as she could. "Sammy... are you alright? You're hurt... really badly... oh my gosh, Sammy..."

As Sailor Mercury embraced him, the pain in Sammy's body seemed to float away, and more tears started to come up to his eyes. 

"Ami..." Sammy said, pain clearly evident in his voice. "I'm so glad to see you again..."

"Sammy..." 

Sailor Mercury was now sobbing, clearly devastated to see that Sammy had been hurt. She continued to embrace him, now only wanting all of the bruises, and cuts, and burns that he'd sustained to go away... 

"I should have been here sooner..." Mercury sobbed. "Then I could have stopped all this from happening..."

  
"Shhh..." Sammy said, gently stroking Sailor Mercury's hair with his hand. "You guys have to have Rick and Mika.... they're the ones in trouble..."

"I'd love to destroy you Sailor Senshi, but first, the matter of these two being freed must be clearly addressed," Pyretta said, walking over toward Rick and Mika. Suddenly, a vortex opened up behind her, and another hooded mercenary stepped out. The Sailor Senshi gasped. "These two will be taken right to Lord Jekelai's headquarters... he will figure out the best thing to do with them."

The portal quickly engulfed Rick, Mika, and the mercenary, and then closed as quickly as it had opened. The metal pole was still standing, but now, the two teens who were tied to it were now gone. Sammy gasped, and more tears came down his face.

"NO!" Sammy shouted in despair, sinking to his knees again. "Rick... Mika... no..."

  
Sailor Mercury gently bent down next to him and clutched Sammy's sobbing form tightly to her chest.

"We'll get them back..." Sailor Mercury said softly. "I promise..."

"That does it!" Sailor Mars shouted. "Abducting Sammy's friends and then sending them off to your dumb leader is about as low as it gets!"  
  
"It gets lower!" Sailor Moon yelled. "You used Sammy's two best friends to lure him into a trap, and then you nearly beat him to death! You're the sickest of the sick, the foulest of the foul, and-"

  
"Yeah, yeah, and proud of it!" Pyretta shouted, her hands glowing a bright red. "Take this!"

As Pyretta's arms began to make a series of tossing motions, several dozen fireballs were hurled at the Senshi. Tuxedo Mask ran in front of the girls and tried to swing his staff around to deflect the fireballs, but it was useless, and Tuxedo Mask was blasted back into the wall for his trouble.

"Ami, you have to help them!" Sammy said, gently nudging Sailor Mercury away from him. "I'll... be alright... Sailor Moon can heal me."

"She can only heal people who are slightly injured, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said. "Otherwise, it drains too much of her energy..."

"I'll still be alright," Sammy said. "Ami..."

"I don't want to leave you," Sailor Mercury sobbed, leaning in and hugging Sammy tighter.

"Jupiter Thunder Axe!"

  
"Mars Flaming Cannon!"  
  
"Venus Arrow Of Beauty!"

A large stream of fire and lightning flew at Pyretta, swirling around a large, silver-shafted arrow that flew straight at Pyretta's chest. As the arrow got closer and closer, a large shield of fire appeared around Pyretta's body, completely blocking the attack as it slammed into the shield and created a large explosion.

  
"It didn't do a thing to her!" Sailor Mars shouted as the smoke began to clear.

"I'll handle this!" Sailor Moon said, pointing her henshin stick at Pyretta. "Moon... Blessed... Salvation!"

A large wave of magical energy slammed into Pyretta, knocking her backward, but barely doing any real damage to her. As the attack dissipated, Pyretta smiled, and began giggling.

"Is that all that you puny Senshi have?" Pyretta said through her laughter. "Oh, please..."

Pyretta extended her arms and floated into the air. A giant burst of flame engulfed her body, taking on the form of a large, winged phoenix. 

"The phoenix usually brings life, but mine is different!" Pyretta shouted as she floated around so that her head was pointed at the Senshi, getting ready to dive-bomb them. "My phoenix brings DEATH!"

Pyretta, encased in her phoenix-shaped flame, flew toward the Senshi with incredible speed. They had no time to dodge, and could merely brace themselves for the attack that was to come.

  
"Mercury Ice Javelin!"

Out of nowhere, several large, icy spears flew at Pyretta, hitting her and catching her completely off-guard. The phoenix-shaped flames disappeared, and Pyretta was sent hurtling toward the ground, landing just a few feet in front of the Senshi. Sailor Mercury ran over to rejoin her teammates, as Sammy stood a few feet away, watching them with a large smile on his face. He gave Sailor Mercury a thumbs-up, and she returned it with one of her own.

__

"I know you'll be alright, Sammy," Sailor Mercury thought. _"I trust in you..."_

"Now's the time!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "Hit Pyretta with an Ultimate Planet Power attack!"

"Right!" the Senshi shouted in unison. They clutched hands and formed a circle around Pyretta as she began to stand up. Their bodies shined brightly with magical energy, which floated out of their bodies and formed a large mist above Pyretta.

"What's going on?" Pyretta shrieked as she saw the energy gathered above her. "Lord Jekelai never said anything about..."

"Sailor Ultimate Planet Power!" the Senshi shouted, causing the mist to engulf Pyretta and shower her with magical energy. It overwhelmed her, and within seconds, Pyretta had been disintegrated. The Senshi slowly released their grip on each other's hands and walked over to Sammy, all of them extremely worried. Tuxedo Mask was with them.

"Sammy, I can heal some of those wounds," Sailor Moon said, putting her hand on Sammy's forehead. "But you're still gonna take a ton of bruises home to mom..."

  
"Rick and Mika got sucked into a portal..." Sammy said worriedly. "We've got to find them! We've gotta save them!"

"First things first, Sammy," said Sailor Jupiter. "At least you're okay... but you're right. We need to find and rescue Rick and Mika as soon as possible..."

---

"So, now Pyretta is dead..."

Jekelai paced around the interior of his room, sitting down on a large, plush, red chair and putting his head into his hands. At that moment, the door to Jekelai's room opened, and a hooded mercenary walked into the room, carrying the still bound and gagged Rick and Mika with him.

"Lord Jekelai, these are the two children you wanted," said the cloaked man, roughly setting Rick and Mika down in front of him.

"At least Pyretta's death was not totally in vain," Jekelai said, rising to his feet. "Take these two to the dungeon... I may yet have some use for them."

As the cloaked man dragged Rick and Mika from the room, Jekelai walked back over to the window and leaned up against it, deep in thought. 

"Perhaps I am going about this all wrong," Jekelai said to himself. "Perhaps abducting certain people to build up negative emotions in Sammy is not the quickest way to extract the crystal... but targeting people whom Sammy's negative emotions have already affected may amplify Sammy's negative emotions quite significantly... yes, that could be it... I do not have much time. Sparrow will arrive shortly... and then I will be forced to fight again."

---

__

Sparrow stood her ground as the twelve men walked toward her, each of them wielding a different weapon. Some had spears, some had maces, and one of them had a huge, ten-foot battle axe. To everyone but Sparrow, it seemed that she was outmatched.

"These guys are history," Sparrow said. But before attacking the men with her sword, Sparrow did something else that even Jekelai hadn't expected. She slammed the blade into the middle of the manacles encasing her wrists, shattering the supposedly 'unbreakable' metal into pieces.

"I can't believe it!" Jekelai roared from his vantage point, a tiny window located just outside the training room. "I should've inspected her sword..."

Now that her hands were free, Sparrow took the opportunity to clean house. She quickly beheaded three of the men with her blade before one of her opponent's weapons nicked her in the arm, causing her to spin around and slash the man across the chest, killing him instantly. Suddenly, a large, metallic flail was swung at Sparrow's head, and she was narrowly able to duck. The flail continued to spin around, killing one of the other mercenaries as it slammed into his head, a fatal blow.

"That's kinda funny," Sparrow said, giggling quietly to herself before stabbing the flail-wielding man in the stomach, killing him. Then, Sparrow quickly ran around the room, killing five more mercenaries before they even had time to blink. Finally, Sparrow was left with just one man... the man holding the giant, ten-foot battle axe. The man swung the axe at Sparrow, clipping her in the side and causing her to spin around, a small cut dripping blood down the side of her body. "Nothing to be too worried about..."

That was the last cut that the man ever made. Sparrow leapt up and kicked the man hard in the face, sending him flying into the wall. Then, Sparrow ran across the man's axe and stabbed her sword into his chest, before leaping back away from the man and into the center of the room, turning toward the door and waiting for Jekelai to enter.

"C'mon, Jekelai..." Sparrow said quietly, pointing her sword at the door. "Show yourself..."

The door opened, and Sparrow immediately rushed at the door, sword in hand. But in the doorway was... no one. Jekelai had tricked Sparrow, and before she could turn around, he knocked her out from behind with a hard blow to the back of Sparrow's skull. Then, he picked up her unconscious body and carried her back to his room, laughing evilly.

---

"She escaped," Jekelai said lamentfully, turning away from the window and walking back toward his chair. "After four years in my captivity, she escaped... so much happened up to that point... everything I did made her hate me even more, and everything she did... made me..."

Jekelai slumped down in his chair, closed his eyes, and let sleep overtake his weary body.

---

Back at Rei's shrine...

"There ya go, Sammy," Mina said, bandaging the last of Sammy's wounds that Sailor Moon hadn't been able to heal. "All patched up and good as new!"

"That's Nurse Venus for ya," said Serena, patting Mina on the back.

  
"Sammy, are you sure you feel all better now?" Ami asked.

"I'll only feel really better when Rick and Mika are okay," said Sammy, walking toward the other room, where Rei was busily observing the glowing flame. "Are you sure that fire is gonna know where Rick and Mika are?"

"It can't know any less than we do, Sammy," said Lita, her voice heavy with doubt. Ami walked up to Sammy and gently took his hand.

"Sammy... wanna go outside and look at the stars?" Ami asked. "Sometimes it makes me feel better..."

---

Sammy and Ami had climbed up to the roof of Rei's shrine, and were now sitting side-by-side, holding hands and looking up into the night sky. The air was cold around them, but they didn't seem to mind, as they had the warmth of each other to bring them solace from the cold.

"Star light... star bright..." Sammy said quietly, his eyes fixated on a brightly glowing star. "First star I see tonight... I wish I may, I wish I might... have this wish I wish tonight..."

"Sammy..." Ami said longingly. "I hope that your wish comes true..."

"If I know you, Ami," Sammy said, looking into her eyes. "I know it will... I trust you to find Rick and Mika, Ami... you and the Sailor Senshi..."

"And you too, Sammy," Ami said. "We won't be able to find them without you..."

The two lovers, Sammy and Ami, kissed deeply, warmly, their eyes closing and their arms around each other. The lives of another young couple were now in their hands, and they weren't going to let them down... or each other.

---

Jeebus, that was long and dark and dark and long. ^_^ What an amazing chapter, huh? There's a twist coming up you won't believe... and I'd like to have a lot of reviews this chapter after only getting one for Chapter 7! I know you guys can do it! ^_^


	9. Different Kind Of Savior

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

Sammy and Ami continued to sit on the roof of the shrine for several more minutes, holding hands and looking up at the stars as they contemplated how they could rescue their imprisoned friends. Finally, Serena, Rei, Lita, Mina, and Darien stepped out of the temple and called up to them.

  
"Sammy, it's getting pretty late," Serena said, craning her head upward so that she could speak with Sammy. "Shouldn't we be heading home? Mom's gonna be really worried..."

"What about Rick and Mika?" Sammy replied. "Didn't Rei find out anything?"

  
Rei shook her head.

  
"The flame told me nothing useful," Rei said gravely. "I'm sorry, Sammy..."

  
Sammy's heart sank. His head drooped, and his lips curved into a weary frown as he walked over to the side of the roof. Ami walked up next to him and gently put her hand on his shoulder, causing Sammy to turn around. 

"Sammy, we'll find Rick and Mika," Ami said sweetly, a look of understanding on her face. "It's obvious that our adversaries wish to use them again, because they wouldn't have taken them otherwise. We'll get them back, Sammy..."

"That's right!" Lita said with determination. "If there's anyone who can rescue your friends, it's the Sailor Senshi. Sammy, just trust us, okay?"

Sammy nodded, then leapt down from the roof of the side, landing in front of Darien and the girls. Ami took a subtler route down the side of the building, using the ladder that she and Sammy had originally used to get up to the roof in the first place.

"It's just that... I dunno, they both looked so scared in the factory... I'm worried that they won't be my friends anymore," Sammy said sadly. "After going through an experience like this, they might think being my friend is too dangerous. And I don't really want to put them through that kind of danger."

"Just tell them that the danger will be over soon," Serena replied. "And that lightning never strikes twice in the same place."

"I think we should be getting back home now, Sammy," Ami said. "I'll follow you and Serena and Darien, alright?"

"We'll meet up at school tomorrow, alright, Serena?" Lita asked. "We can discuss what to do there..."

"Yeah," Mina said, waving to the others as she headed back to her own home. "We'll get them back, Sammy! You can count on that!"

As he began to walk down the streets of Juuban with Serena, Ami, and Darien, the streetlights illuminating the path and lighting the way home, Sammy could only think of saving Rick and Mika, before it would be too late... and he also thought of what Serena had told him. _Lightning never strikes in the same place... _even if the Sailor Senshi rescued Rick and Mika, Jekelai and his mercenaries would still be alive, roaming Juuban and hunting down more of Sammy's friends and loved ones... who would be next?

---

  
Sammy would probably have been relieved to have known that his friends, Rick and Mika, hadn't been harmed since they'd been teleported to Jekelai's palace from the factory. They were being treated rather rudely, as the cloaked mercenary dragged their bound and struggling forms down the halls from Jekelai's room. After passing through several hallways, the man picked up Rick and Mika and began carrying them down several flights of stairs, as well as a few more corridors. The two couldn't help but notice the exquisite scenery of the palace, as its halls were lined with gold plated, well-crafted walls and plush, red-carpeted floors. Hundreds of crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their lights shining down and giving the walls a bright glow. But as the mercenary carried Rick and Mika down even more stairways, the lights grew dimmer, and the scenery grew damp, dirty, and bleak. Finally, the mercenary arrived at a large, wooden door. As he opened it, the loud creaking noise that emanated out made Mika want to cover her ears, and the dank smell coming from inside made both Rick and Mika want to gag. They were carried down one last flight of stairs, into the dark, musty dungeon. Several cells lined the walls, but it looked like none of them had been filled for quite some time. That quickly changed as the mercenary produced a key from his pocket and opened up one of the cells, throwing the two children inside, their bodies roughly hitting the cold, stone floor of the dungeon. Before the mercenary left, however, he did something that neither Rick nor Mika had expected. He took out a medium-sized sword and cut the bonds around their wrists and ankles, then exited the dungeon and closed the cell door behind him.

"We don't need to keep either of you tied up, since you won't be escaping from this place," said the mercenary in a cold, condescending voice. "Have a nice stay."

As the hooded mercenary headed back up the stairs and walked out of the dungeon, Rick started to say something to Mika, but realized that his mouth was still taped up. He reached up and pulled the piece of tape off of his lips, tossing it to the floor of the dungeon and turning back toward Mika, who had already crawled over to Rick and was holding the piece of tape that had been on her mouth in her left hand. She gently reached up to Rick's face and inspected the tiny cuts on his cheek that had been made by Pyretta's fingernails. The cuts weren't dripping blood anymore, but they had opened up again, and Mika feared that they would quickly get infected in the musty dungeon environment.

  
"Hold still," Mika said, gently pressing the piece of tape over the wounds on Rick's face. "There..."

"Mika, are you alright?" Rick asked, feeling more concern for Mika's well-being than that of his own, at least for the time-being. "That guy... he hit you really hard, and-"

"I'm fine, Rick... it's you I'm worried about," Mika said, kneeling next to him, neither of them having gotten up off of the ground. "You look really scared...."

"I was just worried about you," Rick said, looking down toward the floor of the cell. But as he did, and he saw the cold, hard floor beneath him, tears immediately began to well up in his eyes. "Mika.... I am scared..."

Without a word, Mika wrapped her arms around Rick's chest, her warm face nuzzling up against his shoulder. Rick could feel that Mika was trembling, even as she hugged him, and as the cold realization of where they were and what could happen to them began to sink in, they slowly stood up, releasing their embrace on one another. 

"It's his fault... it's all his fault!" Rick shouted, turning away from Mika and walking toward the wall as tears streamed down his face. 

"Rick, no!" Mika protested. Rick turned back toward her, his eyes now reflecting far more anger than fear.

"Don't you see?" Rick shouted back, his face becoming red with fury. "Sammy doesn't care about us! He only cares about Ami, and every time she gets involved with the bad guys, Sammy gets involved... and now, because he did _something _to really make them mad, we're the ones that are paying for it! Dammit, Mika, we're going to die! We're both going to-"

"How can you say those things?!" Mika screamed, tears streaming down her own face as well. "There's nothing Sammy could've done, Rick! Didn't you hear what that woman said? Sammy's got something called the Dark Crystal, and that's what they're after! Not Sammy!"  


"Then why doesn't he just give it to them?" Rick asked. "Why doesn't he give them what they want, and-"

"He can't! It's something inside of him!" Mika screamed, even more passionately than before. "They're trying to hurt all of his friends so it'll come out of him! That's why they went after us... it's not Sammy's fault, it can't be-"

  
"Mika, do you like Sammy more than me or something?" Rick shouted, looking straight into Mika's eyes. "Because I..."

As Rick began yelling again, Mika ran toward the other end of the cell, slumped down to her knees, faced the wall, and began to sob violently, tears streaming profusely down her face. 

"I'm sorry..." Mika sobbed, gasping for breath as sadness and grief began to overtake her. "I'm scared too... but it's not Sammy's fault... but... Rick, I care about you.... and..."

Rick knew immediately that what he had said was a big mistake, and his mind filled with intense regret. He walked over to Mika and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Mika.... I'm the one that should be sorry," Rick said quietly. "Please... I take back everything I said... but... I just don't know what to think anymore, Mika."

Mika stood up and turned around to face Rick, her face now red and puffy from tears.

"Just believe... what you want to believe, Rick," Mika said gently. "I'll still feel the same way about you... and I hope that I always do."

---

Sammy, Ami, Serena, and Darien could hardly prepare themselves for what happened as they entered Sammy and Serena's house. Right when they entered the door, they were immediately confronted by Rick and Mika's parents, as well as Sammy and Serena's. Five parents in all, and all of them were extremely worried. The first thing that Sammy's parents noticed were the large number of bandages covering Sammy's skin, similar to the amount of bandaging he'd received after his encounter with Alexis.

"Oh my gosh, Sammy..." said Mrs. Tsukino, her voice heavy with concern as she rushed over and hugged Sammy. "Are you alright?"

"Mom, I'm fine," Sammy said, gently nudging her away. As soon as he noticed Rick and Mika's parents, he heaved a heavy sigh. "Hoo boy... guess I've got some explaining to do."

"Have any of you seen Mika?" asked Mika's mother, who looked extremely depressed. "I know that she and Rick were with you guys..."

  
"If anything happened to my son, I'm going to have a heart attack," whispered Rick's mother into her husband's ear.

"Do you know exactly what happened as the two of you left Rick and Mika today?" asked Rick's father. "It's getting really late, and neither of them returned home after they went out with the two of you."

Sammy's mind frantically raced for something to tell Rick and Mika's parents, but Ami didn't seem concerned at all. Instead, her quiet demeanor and calm stoicity compelled her to reach down to her waist and slowly begin to pull her henshin stick up in front of her. 

__

"I'm not going to lie to them and make them more worried than they already are," Ami thought. _"Telling them the truth will scare them, but they know who the Sailor Senshi are... I think. Hopefully Serena and I will be able to convince Rick and Mika's parents that we'll get them back. Rick and Mika already know our identity... I'm fairly sure that their parents will keep it a secret."_

Serena gasped as she saw Ami begin to lift up her henshin stick. She placed her hand over Ami's and turned to chastise her.

"Ami, what are you doing?" Serena whispered. "We can't transform here, it would-"

"Serena, we have to," Ami whispered back. "I will not tell these parents that their children are safe while I really know that they've been taken to some secret villain hideout far away from Juuban. We have to tell them the truth, Serena. Your parents already know about your identity, correct?"

"I told them after we defeated Lazuli," Serena whispered. "They... didn't really mind. And of course they know who you are, they figured that out from Sammy. That's when I decided to tell them I was Sailor Moon."

"Well," Sammy began, his voice beginning to quake. "You see, Rick and Mika are-"

"Moon Crystal Power!"

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

A bright flash lit up the room, quickly blinding its inhabitants. Sammy gasped as he turned around and realized that Ami and his sister were transforming.

__

"In front of all of these people?" Sammy thought. _"You guys have got to be crazy..."_

---

Meanwhile, far above the hectic scene at Sammy's house, far up into the sky, and about five hundred miles out into space, a small space pod was rapidly floating toward a huge, floating island, orbiting the Earth. In the center of that island was a huge palace, the palace of Jekelai, leader of the Pale Mercenaries. This is the palace where Rick and Mika were being held. But that was unknown to the occupant of the space pod, a beautiful, silver-haired girl, aged 20 years. She wore a long, simple white shirt, and a black, sleeveless leather top that gave her chest a sleek shine. Her legs were adorned with long pants, of the same color and leather material of her top. Her boots were also solid black, also leather. This woman, completely aware that her tiny ship was headed straight for Jekelai's orbiting island, was headed there for a reason, with one thing on her mind. Her name was Sparrow Migoto, and she wanted vengeance. Vengeance for four years of captivity at Jekelai's hands. Vengeance for the beatings, the pain, the anguish, the torture. She knew not, nor cared not what Jekelai was up to, or what his plans were concerning the Dark Crystal. She didn't even know of the Dark Crystal in the first place. All she wanted was blood, Jekelai's blood, spilled onto her hands. That would be worth all the Dark Crystals in the universe.

"Warning, we are approaching a large, rapidly orbiting mass," came the voice from inside Sparrow's space pod, the voice obviously belonging to a computer of some sort. "If we do not begin landing procedures, we will crash. Do you wish to land?"  


"No," said Sparrow. "I wish to crash. _Anything to make a statement, Jekelai."_

"Warning, warning, warning," shouted the now much-louder voice, accompanied by warning sirens and bright red lights. 

The space pod quickly approached Jekelai's palace, and before Sparrow had the chance to steer it away, it crashed near the left side of the huge palace in a fiery explosion.

---

"Rick, did you hear that?" Mika shouted as a loud, booming noise disturbed the quiet solitude of their dungeon cell.

"Yeah," Rick said, walking over to the bars of the dungeon and straining to look outside. "What's going on out there?"

---

Sparrow, unharmed by the space pod's explosion, leaped out of the ruins of the space pod and into the large hole that the explosion had created. The explosion had did just what Sparrow intended. It opened up a large, cavernous hole in the ground, and also in one of the walls of one of the basement rooms. She climbed down into the hole and entered the palace basement, looking around at the damage that she had caused.

"Maybe I should have crashed through the front door," Sparrow mused as she wandered around the dark, dank room that she'd crashed into. The presence of barrels and crates indicated that Sparrow had crashed into one of the palace's many storage areas, located deep below the palace itself, and a story below the dungeons. Sparrow quickly explored the storage rooms, using small blasts of magic to destroy any crates that she found. "I don't want to leave anything for those jerks..."

Finally, Sparrow reached a long, narrow staircase. She walked up the stairs, not worrying about being caught.

__

"If I do get caught, I'll just kill the person that caught me," Sparrow thought, a smile appearing on her face. _"That'll show them to mess with Sparrow Migoto..."_

When Sparrow got to the top of the stairs, she again surveyed her surroundings. She had entered the palace's dungeon, and Rick and Mika were just a few cells away. As Rick looked out of his cell again, he could see Sparrow, briskly walking down the dungeon corridor. 

__

"Who's that?" Rick thought as he saw Sparrow walking toward the cell. _"Is she friend, or foe?"_

"What are you looking at, Rick?" Mika asked as she ran over to peer out through the bars of the dungeon. By now, Sparrow had already reached the cell next to theirs, and she spotted Rick and Mika as they both gazed out to look at her.

"Just as I thought," Sparrow said quietly. "They've got more slaves."

"More... slaves?" Mika asked, recoiling away from the dungeon bars and back toward the rear of the cell. "Does she want to turn us into slaves?"

Rick, also hearing Sparrow's words, warily stepped away from the front of the cell just as Sparrow approached them. 

  
"It's alright," Sparrow said gently, a sweet smile appearing on her face. She knew that Rick and Mika were afraid, and she immediately felt compelled to help them. "I'm here to rescue you."

"You... are?" Rick asked skeptically. "Really?"

  
Sparrow nodded. She pointed her arm at the door of the dungeon and fired a small blast at it, blowing away the hinges. She removed the door and flung it across the room, making a loud clattering noise as it skidded across the stony floor of the dungeon. Rick and Mika gasped.

  
"Whoa..." Rick breathed, the fear in his body subsided. "You're... really here to help us?"  


"I think she is," Mika said, walking up to Sparrow.

  
"My name is Sparrow Migoto," Sparrow said, extending her hand to Rick and Mika. "And like I said, I'm here to help... I promise."

  
"My.... my name's Rick," Rick stammered, blushing at the sight of one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. Mika groaned at Rick for a second, but then quickly turned back toward Sparrow, a look of relief on her face.

"My name is Mika," Mika said, shaking Sparrow's hand. "Thank you... I think that you might have just saved both of our lives."

---

Rick and Mika's parents stood watching in shock as the two Senshi transformed. When the transformation was over, neither Rick's dad, nor Rick's mom, nor Mika's mom could find anything to say.

"I know this may seem like a shock to you," Sailor Moon said. "There aren't really too many people who know about our true identities..."

"That's right," said Sailor Mercury calmly. "But... we are two of the Sailor Senshi, and we also know what happened to Rick and Mika."

"P-please..." said Mika's mother, the initial shock of the Senshi's transformation beginning to wear off. "Tell us... tell us what happened."

"I can tell you that," said Sammy, feeling guilty about what happened to Rick and Mika. "You see-"

"Sammy, no," whispered Sailor Mercury, placing a finger to Sammy's lips. "Let me tell them... _if I told them the entire truth, it would reflect badly on Sammy..."_

"Are they hurt?" shouted Rick's mother, beginning to panic. "Please, please tell me they're not hurt..."

  
"While Sammy and I were out with Rick and Mika, something attacked us," Mercury lied, her mind quickly concocting a story to take the heat off of Sammy. "We were at the carnival, and suddenly, this strange woman showed up out of nowhere. Apparently, she was working for an enemy that Sailor Moon, the other Senshi, and I are currently engaged in battle with. When the monster came, I transformed, and-"

"In FRONT of it?" Mika's mother shouted. "You revealed your identity? That's probably why Rick and Mika were-"

"No, it never saw me transform," Sailor Mercury said, continuing her fabricated tale. "As I attacked the woman, Sammy, Rick, and Mika ran off somewhere to hide along with the other people at the carnival."

"It's my fault," Sammy said, stepping up to face Rick and Mika's parents.

"Sammy..." Mercury said quietly.

"We were about to go hide, but Sailor Mercury was having a hard time fighting the woman, so... I went back out to help her..."

"Sammy and Ami are in love, you see," said Sailor Moon. 

"I know that, I've seen you together with Rick and Mika," Rick's father said.

"So anyway, when I went back out to help her, Rick and Mika followed me.... the woman saw them, and took off with them. She tried to capture me too, but...."

"I couldn't protect them," Mercury replied. "I.... I could only help Sammy. Rick and Mika were taken... I'm sorry."

"Oh, God!" Mika's mother shouted, bowing her head and beginning to sob. Rick's mother began to sob as well, and was quickly embraced by her husband, who turned his head back toward Sammy and the two Senshi, with a look of understanding on his face.

  
"You know where they are... right?" asked Rick's father. "You can get them back, can't you?"

  
"Well, we don't know where they are," Sailor Mercury admitted, and Rick's mother let out another loud wail.

"But we can find them!" Sailor Moon said quickly. "We have ways... and we've rescued people from villains a lot worse than the ones holding Rick and Mika. I promise, from the bottom of my heart, that we'll find them and return them to you, completely unharmed."

"We believe that our adversaries may want to use them as bargaining chips, or they wouldn't have been captured," Sailor Mercury said. "That means that we'll have an opportunity to get them back. And if it comes to where one of us has to go in their place... I would gladly go to save either of them."

  
"I'd go too," Sammy said, genuinely ready to put his life on the line to help his friends. Upon hearing the Senshi's promises, the three parents were slightly less worried than they had been before. Mika's mother blinked back some of her tears and was able to compose herself enough to give encouragement to the Senshi.

  
"Sailor Moon... you've saved my daughter's life before," said Mika's mother, remembering the doll-making incident from four years ago. "And I know that you can do it again..."

"I remember... that time on the news...." Rick's mother said, sniffling slightly. "That time when thousands of people got attacked by this monster... but... the five of you, the Sailor Senshi... you came and you destroyed the monster, and not a single person was hurt. I... I trust you... I trust all of you."

  
"Please, please bring my son back safely," Rick's father pleaded. 

"We'll do our best," said Sailor Moon. Darien and Sammy's parents, who had kept silent through the whole ordeal, nodded.

"I've known Serena for a long time," said Darien, "and she's a fighter... she won't let your children be in danger for long. She's saved me, and she can save them too."

__

"So that was why Sammy left," thought Sammy's mother. _"He... he was trying to save Rick and Mika... that's why he was hurt... Sammy, please, whatever the Senshi are up to now, please stay out of this... for your sake as well as Serena and Ami's..."_

---

"How are we going to escape this place?" Rick asked as he and Mika followed Sparrow through the halls of the level just above the dungeon. "You've got a ship, right?"

"Yes, but I crashed it..." Sparrow said quietly. "This place has ships, though. There's a hangar a couple of floors above this one."

  
"You've been here before?" Mika replied.

"Yes, I have," Sparrow said. "I... I used to live here."

  
Rick and Mika gasped, causing Sparrow to turn around and shush at them to quiet down.

"Jekelai's the person that owns this place... he kept me prisoner here for several years," Sparrow said. "After we moved out of that castle on the desert planet, anyway... it's a long story. I'm actually not here to free either of you, I'm here to kill Jekelai, once and for all."

"Who's Jekelai?" Rick asked curiously. "Is he like... the head honcho of the bad guys?"

"Yes," Sparrow replied. "But... I can't fight Jekelai with the two of you here. You might get hurt... and the lives of two innocent children are worth far more than my vendetta. I can put that off for another day. I'm going to find a ship and take the two of you home."

"Oh, wow..." Mika said, a smile appearing on her face. "Thank you... but... do you know where home is?"

"I would presume that it's somewhere on that large planet that this palace is orbiting, correct? It's on Planet Earth, right?" Sparrow asked. _"I really hope it's Earth... I'd really hate to have to fly all over the galaxy to get these two home..."_

"That's right," Rick said. "Juuban District, Tokyo, Japan."

"Alrighty then, we're in business!" Sparrow said, smiling. "Now... let's get the two of you home!"

  
"Not so fast!" 

Sparrow, Rick, and Mika immediately looked up to see a large group of hooded men, crowding the hallway in front of them. Leading the pack was the man that had dragged Rick and Mika all the way to the dungeon, the man who had abducted Rick and Mika from Earth in the first place. Upon seeing him, the two teens immediately gasped with fright. Sparrow didn't seem concerned.

"I really hate when people get in my way," Sparrow said, smirking. "Lessee... looks like twelve guys. Well, this won't be very difficult..."

"Speak for yourself," said the lead mercenary. "All I see are a dumb blonde and a couple of bratty kids that obviously should've been left bound and gagged. Well, I guess we'll have to kill all three of you. Too bad about Jekelai's latest bargaining chips, though."

  
The mercenary ran toward Sparrow, obviously unaware of her immense power. The other eleven hooded men simply stood back, confident that their leader could quickly dispatch Sparrow. They were wrong. As the man got within four feet of Sparrow, she lunged forward and plunged her finger straight into the man's chest. As the man bumped up against it, he stopped, with a puzzled look on his face.

"What kind of attack is-"

"Pokey pokey!" Sparrow shouted, smiling brightly. As the man looked up at Sparrow, a large seismic blast emanated from Sparrow's finger and absorbed into the man's chest, crushing his heart and ribs and killing him instantly. The man blasted back toward the other mercenaries, who could only watch helplessly as a huge explosion engulfed all of them, blasting them all back into the wall. Unlike the lead mercenary, the other twelve men had simply been knocked unconscious by Sparrow's attack, although they had been severely injured as well.

  
"Holy sh-" Rick began to say before Mika clapped her hand over his mouth.

"What Rick meant to say is... wow, what a cool attack!" Mika said brightly, all of her fear being replaced by pure joy. "What exactly do you call that attack?"

"The Power Poke!" Sparrow said, giggling slightly. 

"So much for her being a badass," Rick thought. _"But still... she is pretty cool. And she did save our lives. I wonder if the Senshi have met her..."_

Sparrow, Rick, and Mika ran past the fallen mercenaries and turned the corner toward the staircase leading up to the next floor. As they climbed up one set of stairs, Sparrow stopped suddenly. Rick and Mika stopped as well.

  
"Sparrow, what's wrong?" Mika asked. "Why did you stop?"

  
Sparrow glanced to the piece of tape that was on Rick's cheek, serving as an impromptu bandage for the cuts he'd received earlier. She reached up and stroked her hand across the surface of the bandage. Then, she slowly peeled it from Rick's face.

  
"Hey... what did you do?" Rick asked, feeling the spot on his cheek where the bandage had been. "Can't you see I-"

"Rick, the scrapes... they're gone!" Mika said, noticing that all of the breaks in Rick's skin had completely healed. "Sparrow, you... you healed him?"

Sparrow nodded.

"It's nothing, really," Sparrow said, beginning to walk up the stairs again. Rick and Mika followed her, but one thought now permeated through their minds. 

__

"Who is this Sparrow, anyway?"

---

"Well, here it is!" Sparrow said as the three of them entered a huge room with solid, metallic walls that shined in a silvery color. The room was filled with several different types of small spacecraft. "After Jekelai developed his portals, these ships weren't needed anymore... but they're still here, probably gathering dust."

Sparrow walked up to one of them, a small, orange space-pod with room for four seated people.

"Nah, there's not a single speck of dust!" Sparrow said, running her hand over one of the pod's clean, shiny wings. "Wouldja look at that... well, I guess we should climb in!"

  
Sparrow slid the pod's door open, and climbed inside, followed by Rick and Mika. Sparrow sat in the front seat of the pod, while Rick and Mika both sat in the back two seats, leaving the front passenger seat empty. Mika shut the door of the pod behind her, as Sparrow quickly began pressing buttons to activate the pod's controls.

"How do you know how to fly one of these things?" Rick asked. _"Maybe I should be asking her, DOES she know how to fly one of these things?"_

"I used one of these to escape, that's why," Sparrow said. "They're all really essentially the same. The problem's going to be getting out of the hangar, since it's probably operated from controls on the inside of the palace."

  
Sparrow closed her eyes and slowly began to concentrate. Her hands began to glow a bright shade of red. 

"What's she doing?" Mika whispered to Rick as Sparrow continued building up magical energy.

"Not sure," Rick whispered back. "But it's gotta be something good..."

As soon as Rick finished those words, the large gate at the front of the hangar began to open. After a few seconds, it had opened completely, and the space pod quickly flew out of the hangar and rapidly toward the planet Earth.

"Telekinesis!" Sparrow said, smiling. "But really... it's not that big of a deal for me."

  
She looked behind her to see Rick and Mika, staring and rubbing their eyes, not believing what they saw. 

"But I guess it is for you two!" Sparrow said, giggling. "Ah well... maybe I'll teach it to you someday."

The space pod flew around Earth for a few seconds, until Sparrow quickly found herself over the country of Japan. 

"That's the place, right?" Sparrow asked. Without waiting for a response from Rick and Mika, she lowered the space pod and began her descent toward the planet. But as they were headed back to Earth, Jekelai was standing in the still-open hangar. He knew that Sparrow had been inside his palace, and he wasn't very happy about it. Not that she had came... but that she had left.

"You returned... and you didn't even say hello," Jekelai said. "And you took my two future slaves... how rude of you, my beautiful Sparrow. But rest assured... I will catch you now. The hunter might just become the hunted, if you're not careful, Sparrow Migoto..."

---

Rick and Mika's parents, after talking to the Sailor Senshi for a short while, were finally ready to return back home.

"I'll be up all night waiting for Mika," said Mika's mother, as she stepped down from the porch of the Tsukino house. She was followed by Rick's parents, who, while still clearly concerned for the safety of their child, were somewhat ready to trust the Sailor Senshi with Rick and Mika's lives. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sammy, Darien, and Sammy's parents watched as Rick and Mika's parents slowly walked down toward the sidewalk and headed for their homes.

"Those poor parents," said Sailor Mercury quietly. "I... didn't have the heart to tell them that we still didn't have a clue where their children were..."

Suddenly, out of the large grove of trees behind the house across from Serena and Sammy's, came loud shouting, and then two silhouettes, identities concealed by the night darkness. As they entered the street and dashed toward the Tsukino home, the streetlights shining on them made it clear who they were. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Sumaki, Mrs. Erikson, wait!" shouted Sammy, running out into the sidewalk. "WAIT!"

Rick and Mika's parents turned around toward Sammy, just as their two children turned in the opposite direction. As soon as Rick and Mika saw their parents, their faces lit up with glee. The two teenagers dashed toward their parents as quickly as their parents dashed toward them, and they met in the middle of the street under one of the streetlights, quickly embracing each other as tears began to come to all of their faces once more, but instead of being tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sammy, and Darien all rushed out to witness the happy reunion, as did Sammy and Serena's parents. Truly, it had been a miracle, and only Rick and Mika, who had seen the abyss, the hopeless situation that they had been in just minutes before, could appreciate its magnitude. But everyone could appreciate the miracle itself, and that's just what Rick and Mika's parents did. Their children were safe, and in their loving arms... and that was all that mattered.

And the one person who had made the miracle possible, the one whom only Rick and Mika knew of, was also a witness, watching from high above the grove of trees from which Rick and Mika had emerged. The space pod used to transport Sparrow, Rick, and Mika to Juuban was resting in the clearing, having served its purpose. It would probably never be used again, as Sparrow could return to her home if she wanted to, albeit at the expense of a great deal of her power. But instead, she wished to stay. Her eyes remained fixed on the two Sailor Senshi in the crowd of rejoicing people, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury. She sensed their power, and knew that they must have been part of the reason that Jekelai had come to Earth. 

__

"Who... are they?" Sparrow mused to herself. _"Could they be the ones that Jekelai is truly after? I must stay on Earth and learn all I can about those two..."_

---

The next morning, after everything had passed, after Rick and Mika and their families had returned home, and after Sammy and Serena had gotten a well-deserved rest, life continued on, and Serena found herself, like she did every single day, walking to school. But that day, as she walked down the sidewalk, someone was watching. 

__

"She's got the same power signature as... she's one of them. One of the two that I saw."

Sparrow leapt from her hiding place in the nearby bushes, jumping in front of Serena and blocking her path, oblivious to the cars going down the street a few feet away. Serena gasped and stumbled back, stunned by Sparrow's sudden entrance.

"Who... who are you?" Serena stammered. "Are you one of them?"

  
"No... and I know a lot more about them than you ever will," Sparrow said. "Sailor Moon, we need to talk."

---

Who is this Sparrow woman? ^_^ After saving Rick and Mika, she goes and spooks Serena! Well, I guess you'll find out next chapter! 


	10. The Story Of Sparrow

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: (only three people? C'mon, more of you have to be reading than that...)

Gracedangel1854: Mmkay... I'm updating... ^_^ Thank you!

Happygolucky111: Thanks for reviewing! Hope you like this chapter!

Saberpilot: This fanfic's by far the longest I've ever written... it's so much longer than Looking Up To You. Hmm, you don't think Sammy holds the crystal? Maybe, maybe not... and I'm glad you like Sparrow! You'll learn a lot more about her this chapter, mkay? Thanks for reviewing!

---

"What do you... mean, 'we need to talk'?" Serena asked, stepping away from Sparrow with a look of worry on her face.

"Sailor Moon, don't be afraid," Sparrow said reassuringly, taking a step toward Serena. "This is very important, and I want to help you and your friends defeat Jekelai... please, hear me out."

Serena stopped and looked into Sparrow's eyes, ready to hear what Sparrow had to say, but still slightly afraid of the mysterious stranger.

"We should probably go somewhere a little more private, wouldn't you say?" Sparrow asked, pointing to a small clearing of trees adjacent to the street. "I assume that you don't like to divulge the fact that you're Sailor Moon..."

Serena nodded, noticing the cars and people that were traveling down the street, and acknowledging the fact that what Sparrow had to say was apparently for her ears only. The two girls walked into the clearing and quickly looked around to make sure no one was there. The two were alone.

"First things first," Serena said. "You might know me as Sailor Moon, but when I'm not her, please call me Serena Tsukino. That's my name."

"Alright, Serena," said Sparrow, smiling. "My name is Sparrow Migoto. It's wonderful to finally meet you... although I can't say that your reputation precedes you. You're not exactly famous where I come from."

"And... just where would that be, exactly?" Serena asked curiously.

Sparrow's face, which had been smiling and cheerful just a few seconds ago, instantly turned serious as she began to recall her eventful past.

"You may not believe this, but... I come from another dimension," Sparrow said. 

"Another dimension?" Serena said, startled. Sparrow nodded. "Sparrow, that's-"

"You've never dealt with beings from another dimension?" Sparrow asked. 

"Oh, we've dealt with them before, but it's just that... well, most of them have been really evil," said Serena, rubbing her forehead with her right hand. "A few have been good, though... so I guess it's possible that you could be too."

"I assure you that I am," Sparrow said, beginning to giggle. "At least, your definition of good, anyway... but let me get back to the point. I'm from another dimension, from a planet that greatly resembles this one... in fact, we call it planet Earth, just like you call this planet."

"So, you're from Earth... but from another dimension? I see..."

"And one more thing, Serena," Sparrow said, taking a few steps back. "You might not find this very much to your liking, but... I'm not human. I'm a shapeshifter demon."

Serena gasped, a look of fear crossing her face. She began trembling, and quickly withdrew her henshin stick, ready to transform at any moment.

"No, Serena, I told you, I'm not evil!" Sparrow shouted. "I'm just a demon... that's all..."

"B-b-b-b-but there's no such thing as a g-g-g-good demon..." Serena stammered, fearfully clutching her henshin stick in her trembling hands. "And... a shapeshifter demon? That means you can take on any form... you're probably a monster in disguise!"

"Believe what you want to believe then," Sparrow said, heaving a sorrowful sigh. "That's the same reaction that a lot of people have when I tell them that I'm a demon... all I wanted to do was help you guys..."

Serena briefly stopped trembling, and took a few steps toward Sparrow.

"I'm.... I'm sorry," Serena said apologetically, starting to put away her henshin stick. "I... I was just startled, that's all... but we've fought so many demons in the past... we usually call them youma, though... I never knew there was such a thing as a good demon."

"Well, there is," Sparrow said, "and you're looking at one. And the only way that you're going to defeat Jekelai is with my help. He's an incredibly powerful warrior who transgressed dimensions in order to abduct me, and there are many things I know about him that you don't. So, Serena... what do you say?"

"Alright, Sparrow," Serena said, extending her head toward Sparrow's. "We'll be allies, then..."

  
"I hope that we can be friends as well," Sparrow said, shaking Serena's hand. "Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

  
"Jekelai abducted you?" Serena asked after she had shook Sparrow's hand. "That must have been horrible!"

"It's a long story...." said Sparrow, bowing her head. "Would you like to hear it?"  


"Maybe all of my friends should hear it," Serena said. "After school, I'll invite the other Senshi to my friend Rei's Shinto shrine and you can meet all of them. Rei's one of the Senshi too, so don't worry about her."

"Alright then, Serena," Sparrow said, turning away from Serena and walking toward the edge of the clearing.

  
"Wait!" Serena called out to Sparrow. "Do you... have anywhere to stay while you're here?"

"I'm going to go back to the space pod I used to get here and take a nap," Sparrow said, turning back toward Serena and yawning. "I'm pretty sleepy... whenever you get out of school, come wake me up and we'll go to the shrine together, okay? I'm really going to enjoy meeting all of your friends!"

Serena and Sparrow waved at each other one last time. Then, Serena ran off to her school, already several minutes late for her first class. 

__

"Sparrow seems really incredible, even for a demon," Serena thought as she ran down the sidewalk. _"And she sounds like she's got plenty of information about that Jekelai guy... but can we really trust her?"_

---

That afternoon, at Sammy's school, Sammy eagerly awaited lunch time, because it would be a chance to talk to Rick and Mika for the first time since their harrowing ordeal the previous day. He walked over to the table where they were seated, both of them quietly eating together. But as he began to sit down with them, Rick stood up and shook his head.

  
"Sammy, no..." Rick said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "We... we can't. Not now, Sammy."

  
"What do you mean?" Sammy asked, taken aback. "We can't sit together?"

  
"We can't be friends, Sammy," Rick replied. "It's just... it's just too dangerous. I don't want to endanger Mika, or me, or our families. Please understand..."

"I don't understand!" Sammy shouted angrily. "They've already come after you once, but they won't do it again! They'll go after someone else, not you guys! Don't you see? Rick, Mika, I need you to be my friends... everything is so tough right now, and-"

"Sammy, please," Mika said gently, walking over to Sammy and taking his hand. "Maybe sometime later, when the danger's passed... we'll still be friends, but we just... we can't talk to each other, or be seen with each other. Sammy, you know I don't want to do this..."

"Why do you guys have to be so selfish?" Sammy shouted, ripping his hand away from Mika's and turning away from his friends. "I can't believe you guys... all I wanted to say was that I'm sorry for what happened, and try to make you feel better, but you don't even want to talk to me..."

"Hey now, Sammy..." Rick said, getting up from his seat and walking over to Sammy. "You know what? I was right. It IS your fault that all this stuff happened to us. Dammit, they hurt us! Both of us! Mika especially, she was scared, and crying, and... and you don't even care! You're acting like it never happened! Well, guess what, it did happen. It happened, and we almost died, and we would've died if it hadn't been for this girl named Sparrow Migoto. You didn't come save us, SHE did! You only care about yourself..."

"Please, stop!" Mika screamed, running inbetween Rick and Sammy and holding them back from one another, tears streaming down her face. "Don't fight... don't burn any bridges... Sammy, this isn't permanent, just until the danger's passed, okay? I'm hating this as much as you are... you have to understand, please..."

Sammy opened his mouth to say something to Rick, but then closed it, and decided to say something to Mika instead.

"I'm really sorry I went off on you guys... and... sorry that I couldn't save you when you were kidnapped... but... I promise that I'll try to defeat these bad guys as soon as I can so that there's no more danger and we can be friends again... I'm sorry."

Sammy sighed and walked away from Rick and Mika, hanging his head. He thought about the previous day, the terrible things that Rick and Mika must have gone through, the fearful looks on their faces.

__

"Maybe this is for the best," Sammy thought as he walked toward the corner of the fenced-off roof. _"I never want anything bad to happen to my friends ever again..."_

Sitting at one of the tables near Sammy was Mikhail, the black-haired boy who had answered Miss Haruna's question the previous day. As Sammy walked toward him, Mikhail gave a slight smile in his direction.

"What's wrong, Sammy?" Mikhail asked. "You almost got into a fight over there..."

"It's none of your business," Sammy grumbled. 

"Please, Sammy... I just want to help," Mikhail replied. "And maybe we got off on the wrong foot yesterday. I should have let you answer that question instead of just blurted out the answer like that."

"Don't worry about it," Sammy said, sitting down at the table across from Mikhail. "Sorry about being rude... I was just a bit angry after that whole episode with my friends, that's all."

  
As Sammy began speaking with Mikhail, he wondered if it was really a good idea. The villains were going after all of Sammy's loved ones... if Sammy made any new friends, they might be next. Sammy started to get up from the table.

"Mikhail, I can't," Sammy said, standing up. 

"Sammy, what's the matter?" Mikhail replied, walking over to Sammy. "If you're worried that I'm going to yell at you like your other two friends did, don't worry... I'm not like that at all."

  
"It's not that, it's just.... I can't explain," Sammy said, turning away from Mikhail. "But... we can't be friends."

"Why not?" Mikhail asked. "I don't have any other friends here.... all I wanted was-"

  
"I don't want to endanger you!" Sammy shouted, turning around and looking straight into Mikhail's eyes. Mikhail looked stunned for a second, but then smiled and began to chuckle to himself.

"Is that all?" Mikhail asked. "Sammy, being your friend isn't dangerous... I mean, you're not going to bite, are you? Now c'mon..."

Mikhail took Sammy's arm and rather forcefully sat him down in the chair next to his own.

__

"This guy really seems serious about being my friend," Sammy thought. _"Well, I guess it can't do much harm as long as I don't see him very often..."_

"Alright then, we'll be friends," Sammy said. A smile formed on his face. "So, anyway... what were you and Miss Haruna talking about this morning? You know, before class?"

"Oh, that," Mikhail said. "Well, you see... she was just apologizing to me for yelling yesterday. She said that she was a bit too harsh on the new student, and I told her I wouldn't talk out in class anymore."

"She's really a nice teacher once you get to know her," Sammy said. "I'm sure that you'll like her a lot once you've been in her class for a few more weeks!"

"I'm sure that I will," Mikhail replied. As the lunch period went on, Sammy and Mikhail continued to talk, getting to know each other fairly well over the next twenty minutes or so. When the bell rang to end lunch, Sammy and Mikhail went back to class together, not stopping to talk to Rick or Mika. 

__

"At least I've got one friend that's not afraid of me," Sammy thought. _"I just hope I'm not putting Mikhail into any danger..."_

---

Meanwhile, Ami was walking toward the bus that she rode every day from Serena's high school to the gifted school, a few blocks away. Serena walked out with her, eager to discuss her encounter with Sparrow that morning.

"So you met up with a shapeshifter demon?" Ami said quietly, not wanting any of the other students nearby to hear.

"Yeah," said Serena. "I'm just glad she's on our side..."

  
"Well, of course she's on our side," Ami replied. "She rescued Rick and Mika, and she's obviously got issues with Jekelai. I really can't wait to meet her after school... Rei's temple, right?"

"Yeah," said Serena. "All of us are going to be there."

  
"Maybe I should bring Sammy along..." Ami said. "I mean, I'm sure he'd like to meet the rescuer of his friends... and thank her properly."

"I dunno if we should just yet. I mean, she's probably good, but... this Dark Crystal thing sounds really powerful. Maybe she wants it so that she can attack Jekelai.... we probably shouldn't let Sammy near her yet."

"Don't be ridiculous, Serena," Ami replied. "I'm sure Sparrow is a wonderful person, demon or not. I'm going to invite Sammy over to the Shinto shrine to meet her."

"Well, alright," Serena said. "But... just be careful, okay?"

"I will, Serena," Ami said. "We'll be there right after school, okay?"

Ami climbed into the bus and walked over to her seat, the fifth from the front on the left side. As she looked out the window, Serena waved at her, and Ami waved back, a cheerful smile on her face. A loud bell sounded, and Serena quickly turned around and ran back toward the entrance of the school, determined not to be late to class for the second time that day.

__

"Jekelai is really powerful, but this Sparrow sounds extremely powerful as well," Ami thought. _"And I know we're going to need all the help we can get to beat Jekelai."_

"Ami?" came a quiet, male voice from behind Ami's seat. "Is that you?" 

Ami quickly turned around to see a smiling, brown-haired boy, about her age or maybe a little bit older, sitting behind her, wearing a gray-colored school uniform. She immediately recognized who it was.

"Greg? Oh my gosh, it's been..."

"Five months? Yeah, I know... a lot of stuff's happened since I left Juuban... how are you and Sammy doing?"

"Oh, just great!" Ami said, smiling sweetly. "Sammy and I are still a couple, of course... what about you, Greg? Have you found anyone yet? And why are you back in Juuban, anyway? I'm just curious, I don't want to seem rude..."

"No, no, not at all!" Greg replied. "I'm doing great... nope, still no girlfriend, sorry to say... but I think I will find someone soon! At least I hope I do! And I'm in Juuban for good this time, it looks like. My mom found a permanent job over here as a pharmacist, so... I'm hopefully going to be here until college! That's good, because I've got a lot of friends here... like you, Ami."

Ami nodded. Just then, a brown-haired girl walked up the aisle and past Ami's seat, stopping in front of Greg's.

"May I... sit here?" asked the girl, carrying a stack of books. She looked down at Ami and smiled. "Hi there... remember me? From the Winter Festival?"

As Greg scooted over to allow the girl to sit down, Ami nodded as she recognized who she was.

"Bianca, hello!" Ami said. "How's everything going? Sorry I didn't see you very much at the Festival... my friends and I sorta ran off after that monster showed up."

Greg gasped as Ami said the word 'monster', knowing that it meant that Ami and her friends had gotten into trouble with evil forces again.

"That's okay, the Sailor Senshi came and saved the rest of us," said Bianca. "Including Sammy... poor guy, and his friends..."

"I felt really bad about leaving Sammy there," Ami replied, when in reality, she had been with Sammy the whole time. "But... we went on a date afterwards, so hopefully everything is cool now!"

Bianca smiled and turned toward Greg, who was worriedly staring out the window next to him.

  
"Hey... are you alright?" Bianca asked. Greg turned around.

"Oh, I'm fine," Greg said, his cheeks beginning to turn red as he had been slightly embarrassed and startled by Bianca. "I was just thinking."

  
"I see," Bianca said. "Well, whoever you are, it's nice to meet you... my name is Bianca!"

"I'm, um... Greg," Greg said clumsily, rubbing the back of his head and continuing to blush. Ami giggled and turned around to speak with Bianca and Greg.

  
"Bianca, Greg is a bit shy... but he's really sweet once you get to know him!" Ami said. "Maybe the two of you should get to know each other a little better!"  


"That's a good idea, Ami," Bianca said. She turned back toward Greg. "So, Greg... what class are you going to next? I'm in advanced chemistry..."

"Well, let's see..." Greg said, reaching into his pocket and taking out the sheet that he had been given that had all of his classes listed on it. "I'm in... um..."

  
"You're in advanced chemistry too! That's great, we're going to be in class together!" Bianca said happily. "Isn't that great, Greg?"

  
"Uh... yeah, it is!" Greg replied, blushing. "Yeah, it is... _thank you, Ami..._"

---

The long, lavish grand hall of Jekelai's employer's palace dwarfed any room in Jekelai's floating fortress, but Jekelai was not intimidated. He already knew that he was more powerful than his employer was, and that he was greatly needed for his employer to be able to complete his search for the Dark Crystal. He came and went as he pleased.

"I am going to destroy her. Your Dark Crystal will have to wait."

"Jekelai, she is distracting you. You must complete your mission for me. Why is it taking so long to find the Dark Crystal for me?"  


"Because Sparrow is a distraction," said Jekelai, walking toward the large golden door that marked the room's entrance. "And by destroying her, I will wipe her from my mind forever."

"You don't intend to destroy her, do you?"

"What I intend to do to Sparrow is none of your concern. You will get your Dark Crystal soon, I assure you."

Jekelai pushed open the door of the room and exited, the large door slamming shut behind him. Jekelai's employer held out his palm, and suddenly, a small, glowing green speck of light appeared, hovering over it.

"Follow Sammy Tsukino. If Jekelai will not work, then I will complete this mission myself... follow the boy and return when you have gathered enough information to end all of this foolishness and bring the Dark Crystal into my hands!"

---

  
As Sammy and Ami walked down the narrow path toward Rei's temple, snow began to fall all around them. Sammy smiled and tightened the scarf that Ami had given him around his neck, slightly warming him in the cold weather.

"This scarf is very comfortable, and it keeps me really warm," Sammy said, holding Ami's hand as he walked with her. "Thank you again..."

  
"You're welcome, Sammy," Ami said. "So, are you ready to meet the woman that saved Rick and Mika?"

As Ami mentioned Rick and Mika's names, Sammy began to think of them, and once again, he became sad, frowning and bowing his head. Ami noticed Sammy's sad expression, and began to become sad as well.

"Sammy, what's wrong?" Ami asked. "Did something happen between you and-"

"They don't want to be my friends anymore," Sammy said. "Not until we beat Jekelai, anyway... they think it's too dangerous to be around me."

"That's too bad, Sammy," Ami replied, holding his hand tighter. "I really hope they decide to change their minds... I'm really sorry."

  
"It's alright, Ami, it's not your fault... it's just... I felt so bad after what happened to them, I just wanted to apologize, but.... they didn't even want to talk to me. I felt really bad, and really guilty..."

Ami stopped and stood in front of Sammy, just before reaching Rei's temple. She lifted his hands up to his waist, gently caressing them with her fingers in a show of affection. Then, she smiled at him, and began to speak to Sammy with utmost sincerity.

"Sammy, no matter what happens to your friends, or any of your loved ones, whatever Jekelai or his minions do, it is not, and never, ever will be because of you, do you understand? It's not your fault, it never was, and it never will be. You have nothing to fear and nothing to prove to anyone, Sammy... and especially me. As for me, no matter what happens to me, I'll always, always love you with all of my heart. I mean that, Sammy."

Sammy smiled, and a single tear came to his eye.

  
"Oh, Ami," Sammy said, beginning to get choked up. "I... I don't... I mean... I won't ever let anything happen to you, Ami... but... but thank you. You don't know what that means to me, really..."

"Your friends and family love you very much, Sammy Tsukino," Ami said. "You're a wonderful, sweet, caring person, and I'm sure that there are people out there who would die for you, Sammy. But... Sammy, you have my word that the other Sailor Senshi and I will protect you and all of your friends, Sammy. We'll beat Jekelai."

"Thank you, Ami," Sammy said. Ami smiled warmly at Sammy, and then kissed him on the lips. Then, they both walked together into Rei's temple. There, already seated on the floor, were Serena, Darien, Rei, Lita, and Mina. Also sitting on the floor, smiling and slowly sipping a steaming cup of tea, was Sparrow. She waved at Sammy and Ami as they entered the room and joined the circle of friends, sitting down across from her.

"Well, now that everyone is here, I'll begin," said Sparrow. "Oh, by the way... my name is Sparrow Migoto. It's wonderful to meet all of you!"  


"Sparrow, thank you so much for saving Rick and Mika..." Sammy said, running over to Sparrow and giving her a big hug. "They're my best friends, and-"

  
"Wow, you're an eager beaver, aren't ya?" Sparrow said, giggling and returning the hug. "You must be Sammy, right? Serena's brother?"

"Yeah, that's right," Sammy said, walking back to the other side of the circle and sitting down next to Ami. "Nice to meet you, Sparrow..."

"Well, I'll start by introducing myself," Sparrow said, taking another sip from her porcelain teacup. "My name is Sparrow Migoto, and the first thing you should all know about me is that I'm not a human. I'm a shapeshifter demon."

  
"Shapeshifter demon?" Sammy said in amazement. "You mean.... you can transform and stuff?"  


"Yes, I can," said Sparrow. "Anyway, I come from the planet Earth, but not Earth in this dimension... Earth in another dimension. You see-"

"Could you like, um... transform right now?" Sammy asked. "I mean, if that's not a problem or anything..."

"Wait a minute, you're a demon?" Rei asked. "So that's why I was getting all of those weird vibes from you..."

"She's a good demon, Rei," Serena said. "Don't worry, I thought she was evil too when she first said she was a demon... but she can't be evil. She saved Rick and Mika and she wants to go after Jekelai."

  
"She'll be a good asset to the team," said Lita.

"Thank you, Lita," Sparrow said, having been told all of the Senshi's names before Ami and Sammy had entered the shrine. "And I could transform now... but... well, I'm not really sure if I should."

"Please?" Sammy pleaded, his face bright with excitement. "Please show us..."

"Now Sammy, she said that she didn't really want to," Ami said. "We should probably respect that, and-"

"No, it's quite alright," Sparrow said, rising to her feet. "It'll only take a second..."

Sparrow closed her eyes, and began to concentrate, calmly gathering her energy from within and building it up for a transformation. Small specks of light began to glow brightly around her, and her entire body lit up, as if bathed completely in light. Suddenly, there was a large flash, and a small amount of energy rushed outward from Sparrow's body, temporarily blinding everyone in the room. Chad, whom had seen the huge flash from outside the shrine, rushed into the room, broom in hand. He came just in time to see Sparrow, standing at the back of the room as the light dimmed down. She was no longer in the shape of a human. Now, she was a beautiful wolf with silver-colored fur and a shimmering tail that reflected an array of colors as the sunlight shined in on it. She had big, red eyes, and large, sharp-looking teeth. The girls gasped and slid back several feet, as Sammy's eyes opened wide in amazement.

"Cool..." Sammy said quietly.

"AAAAAAH!" Chad shouted, rushing toward the wolf and wielding his room as if it were a sword. "A wolf! Get away from Rei, you... you... you monster!"  
  
Chad leapt up and brought the broom handle down upon Sparrow's head, but with a wink from Sparrow's eye, Chad was stopped entirely, frozen in time and space. He stood still in the air as the other girls rose to their feet, along with Sammy and Darien.

"What did you... do to him?" Rei asked, her voice a mixture of anger and fear.

  
"I froze him," said Sparrow, her gentle voice becoming slightly deeper as a side-effect of her transformation. She didn't open her mouth to speak, which indicated that she was communicating through some form of astral projection. "He's quite alright, though..."

Sparrow began to glow again, and within seconds, she had transformed back into her normal, human-like state. Chad became unfrozen, and quickly fell to the ground, landing hard on his back.

  
"Ungh!" Chad shouted as his tailbone slammed into the floor of the shrine, his broom falling next to him. "Whaa... what happened? And hey, who's your friend? She's kinda cute!"

"Hi, I'm Sparrow!" Sparrow said, extending her hand to help Chad get up from the ground. _"Just a tiny little memory wipe... wouldn't work on any of the girls, though. Their minds and bodies are far stronger than this guy's..."_

"Chad, don't you have sweeping to do outside?" Rei asked, angrily walking over to Chad and handing him his broom.

"Well, yeah, but I just wanted to see what you girls were up to," Chad said, rubbing his backside. "Well, bye, Sparrow! Catch you later!"

  
Chad walked out of the room, and Rei quickly shut the door behind her.

"That was pretty smooth," Mina said to Sparrow, causing her to giggle. "And pretty cool!"

"So, can you change into anything you want?" Sammy asked.

"Pretty much!" Sparrow said, smiling. 

"Cool," Sammy said, sitting down on the floor next to Ami. "So... what else can you do?"

  
"A lot of things," Sparrow said. "But can I finish my story first?"

"Please continue," Ami said politely. Everyone in the room sat down, and Sparrow began her story again.

  
"So, anyway, in the dimension where I'm from, Earth is covered with forests and trees," Sparrow said. "I grew up in those forests, and that wolf form you just saw is my favorite thing to transform into. I would spend hours running through the forests as a wolf, with not a care in the world..."

  
"Sparrow, is... everyone on your planet like you?" Serena asked. "I mean, shapeshifter demons?"  


"Oh, no... in fact, there are very, VERY few of us," Sparrow said. "Most people are humans, just like you... except you don't live in cities. You live in villages and things... primitive compared to the things I've seen here in Juuban."

"So... what about your family?" Darien asked. "Are they-"

"Sadly, my parents died when I was a young girl," Sparrow said. "So I was left alone to roam the forests. I met other demons like myself, but... humans never really accepted us. We generally had to fend for ourselves."

"That's really sad...." Lita said. "People should learn to accept others for the way they are, and not fear them just because they might be different. I've fought lots of demons as a Sailor Senshi, but I'm open to the truth that there can be good demons, too."

Serena giggled slightly, an embarrassed blush forming on her face. Sparrow continued.

"So, anyway, one day, I was running through the forest, as usual, when I was attacked by a group of mercenaries. At the time, I didn't know it, but they were under Jekelai's employ. I fought hard, but eventually, they captured me and took me back to him. For four years, he tortured me, endlessly trying to break me and force me to become his personal assassin, but... I resisted. Never once did I think of anything but escaping from that horrible, horrible man! I would've rather died than work for him!"

"So Jekelai captured you to use your powers?" Serena asked. "That's terrible... but I can see why he did it... I mean, you ARE really powerful."

"Every day, when I didn't do what he told me to, he beat me, he spit on me, and cursed at me... I was nothing but a slave to him!" Sparrow shouted. "He could injure me as much as he wanted, because my body naturally heals, so no matter what he did, I would be able to recover... my regeneration was a blessing and a curse. But one day, when he let his guard down... I escaped. You see, every 36 hours, he would put a seal on my forehead. If he didn't, I would regain my strength and be able to escape... and destroy him. So whenever he would put that seal on my head, I would train... even if I was chained up, I would find some way to increase my strength, through meditation, mental concentration... mind over matter. I would keep telling myself that one day, I would escape and repay Jekelai a hundred times worse than what he did to me."

---

__

"Well, my dear, dear Sparrow... it's time for your Ultinius seal to be replenished," Jekelai said, putting his hand on Sparrow's forehead. His hand began to glow, and Sparrow knew that soon, the seal would be burned into her skin once more. But this time... nothing happened. Jekelai tried again to put on the seal, but again, nothing happened. "What's going on?"

"I'm too powerful now, Jekelai," Sparrow said, grinning. "And soon, you'll finally pay for everything you've done to me."

  
"You... you BITCH!" Jekelai shouted, punching Sparrow in the stomach as hard as he could. "You'll die before that happens!"

Jekelai let loose a flurry of powerful blows to Sparrow's body, each one of them more brutal than the last. Bones in Sparrow's body cracked with every blow, and blood spewed from Sparrow's nose and mouth, as well as from several cuts on Sparrow's arms and chest that Jekelai had made with his punches. He leapt back and pointed his arm at Sparrow, preparing to fire one final blast to finish her off.

"You're finished, Sparrow Migoto!" Jekelai shouted. "You'll pay for-"

But as Jekelai saw the tears coursing down Sparrow's face, the girl sobbing as she realized that Jekelai was going to kill her before her previous Ultinius seal had diminished and she could use her powers again, he stopped. Because... it had happened. Sometime during the final few months of Sparrow's captivity, it had happened. Something within Jekelai had opened up, and he had... 

It was now impossible for Jekelai to kill Sparrow. He lowered his arm, and at that moment, the Ultinius seal on Sparrow's forehead disappeared. She immediately snapped the chains holding her to the wall and leapt upon Jekelai in a furious rage.

---

"We fought, and fought, for several hours," Sparrow said. "It got to the point that we were both so injured that we could die at any second. Neither of us could stand. But at the last moment, Jekelai formed a portal that sucked me in, delivering me back to my world. I don't know why he did it, but I knew that I had finally escaped from his terrible, terrible clutches. And ever since I healed, I've been seeking out my revenge."

The Senshi listened to Sparrow in awe, captivated by her story. Finally, Serena spoke.

"So, Sparrow... what do you know about Jekelai? How can we defeat him?"  


---

"There it is," Jekelai said, walking up the path toward Rei's Shinto shrine. "I know you're in there, Sparrow. I can sense you... feel you... your anger is calling to me, Sparrow Migoto."

---

"Jekelai is a complex, powerful entity," Sparrow said, "and-"

Suddenly, Sparrow stood up. She walked toward the entrance of the Shinto shrine, a stone-cold look on her face. 

"Hey, Sparrow, what's going on?" Sammy asked, standing up. "Where are you-"

"None of you are to exit this room," Sparrow said, turning back toward Sammy and the Senshi. Then, she walked out the door. Sammy ran after her, but as soon as he got to the door, he was blasted back by a large, red forcefield that sealed off the exit to the room. 

"We're trapped!" Darien shouted. "She's trapped us in here!"  
  
"Guys, there's someone else outside besides Sparrow," Rei said, standing up. "Extremely powerful evil... we should transform right now!"

---

The snow that fell around Sparrow and Jekelai as they stood outside on the path leading to the temple provided a cold, wintery backdrop for the carnage that was almost assured to come.

"So, Sparrow," Jekelai said, "you've come out to greet me."

"I've come out to kill you, Jekelai," Sparrow said, her eyes narrowing and forming an angry stare. "What are you up to this time?"

"If you must ask, I'm currently working on a task assigned to me by a man named Cestari," Jekelai said, revealing the identity of his employer. "He seeks an artifact of great power, and when I find it, I'm due a share. However, I took a temporary leave of employment to visit an old friend. How goes it lately, my beautiful Sparrow?"  


"Save it," Sparrow replied coldly. "Your death will come before you ever lay eyes on that artifact."

"At your hand, I presume."

"Precisely."

---

It's the fight of the century, and... it doesn't involve Sammy or Ami? But don't fret, there's plenty of Sammy/Ami goodness coming up. That green speck is closing in on Sammy's location, and finally, Jekelai's mysterious employer has a name... Cestari! But what does Cestari want? And who will win in this incredible rematch: Jekelai, or Sparrow? That's all coming up, next chapter!

  



	11. Sammy And Sparrow Strike Back

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

As Jekelai and Sparrow faced each other down, the winds around them began to pick up, and the soft layer of white snow on the ground lifted up and whipped around the two warriors, who were completely oblivious to the cold air around them.

"For everything you've ever done, to me or anyone else... this is my retribution!" Sparrow shouted, floating up several feet into the air. "Die!"

Several large, colorful, thin laser beams seemed to pierce up out of the ground, below Jekelai's feet. Then, large chunks of the ground were lifted up, crumbling around Jekelai as the beams pierced them. Before Jekelai could get out of the way, he was engulfed by a huge, spectacular explosion of sparks and light, causing Chad and Rei's grandfather to run outside in an attempt to see what was going on. Before they even got close to Sparrow, they were knocked unconscious by the huge wave of energy coursing around her. Then, Sparrow turned and flew into the huge cloud of dust created by the explosion. She locked onto Jekelai's location and tackled him to the ground, leaving him coughing and sputtering as the dust cleared. Sparrow was on top of him, her knees pressing into his chest, and her hands around his throat.

"Got anything to say before I snap your neck?" Sparrow said through gritted teeth. Jekelai, who had sustained several small cuts and bruises from Sparrow's first attack, smiled up at Sparrow, causing her to emit a tiny gasp of surprise.

"Maybe I should... be asking for your last words, Sparrow..." Jekelai coughed. Suddenly, Sparrow's hands loosened from around Jekelai's neck, and her hands immediately flew to her back, where a stabbing pain had suddenly formed. The cause was a large glob of purple ooze on Sparrow's back, which began spreading to cover her body. As her hands touched the ooze, they became affixed to it, and were quickly held in place. When a new area of Sparrow's body touched the ooze, it became engulfed in chilling, stabbing pain.

"What... did you... do to me?" Sparrow shouted painfully as the ooze spread to her legs and chest, turning her lower body purple as it was covered in an inch-thick layer of the deadly substance.

"I created that substance out of nothing, Sparrow... merely the blink of an eye caused it to appear," Jekelai said, smiling. "Lavender Death..."

"Bastard..." was the last thing Sparrow could say before the ooze washed over her head, muffling her words. As soon as the ooze had covered Sparrow's body, Jekelai raised his arms to the sky, causing the glob of ooze that had once been Sparrow Migoto to lift up into the air, hundreds of feet high. Then, Jekelai dropped his hands, and the ooze fell to the ground with an incredible velocity, smashing into the Earth in a gigantic explosion. In front of Jekelai was now a large crater, about six feet deep, frozen over with a large tomb of violet-colored ice. The ice filled the crater and then some, the excess ice creating large spikes that jutted forth from the ground. And at the bottom of the icy tomb was Sparrow Migoto, seemingly motionless. Jekelai smiled and ran his hand over the still-blistering cold surface of the ice structure.

"May you be frozen forever in the icy realm of Cocytus, reserved for traitors and cowards... goodbye, Sparrow."

But as soon as Jekelai had finished those words, the ice shattered in a gigantic explosion, sending large chunks of it everywhere. As the icy chunks hit the ground, they dissipated into the ooze that they had originally been formed from, and then disappeared completely. Sparrow flew out of the crater, unsheathed her sword, and slashed at Jekelai's head with incredible force. Jekelai parried the slash with his finger, and Sparrow leapt back and flew at Jekelai again, repeatedly slashing at him. This time, Jekelai formed a large, gold-colored but transparent shield of magical energy to block the slashes. Sparrow's sixth slash broke through the barrier, and cut across Jekelai's cheek, making a large slash that went from just below his eye to just above his lip. Jekelai leapt backward, away from Sparrow, and clapped his hands.

"It seems that even the ninth circle of hell cannot contain your wrath, Sparrow Migoto," Jekelai said, continuing to clap his hands together in a mocking fashion. Sparrow stepped up and stopped several feet away from Jekelai, still holding her sword in her right hand. The winds picked up further still, and heavy snow continued to fall around both Jekelai and Sparrow, but neither of them seemed affected in the least by the bitter cold.

"My wrath cannot be contained," Sparrow replied coldly. "You should know that by now..."

Sparrow prepared to leap up and strike at Jekelai again, but was suddenly stopped in her tracks by a large, red energy circle that appeared in front of her. It was ornately decorated with an intricate seal, and it rotated like a large wheel. As she looked around, she saw similar energy seals to her left, to her right, and behind her, four in all. And then, small, tiny red blasts of magical energy poured out of the seals, each one creating a large explosion as it impacted her body. Sparrow screamed as the tiny blasts bombarded her, bathing Sparrow in painful magical energy. Finally, the attack was over, and Sparrow was left on her knees on the ground, in the middle of a huge crater. Her leather outfit was ripped and torn, with several cuts that were dripping blood. Slowly, she rose to her feet.

"Take... this!" Sparrow shouted, lifting her arms and firing several energy blasts at Jekelai. Jekelai dodged the blasts, which hit the ground and caused small explosions to erupt all around Jekelai's body.

"Those are ki-based attacks," Jekelai said, smiling. "Interesting... you always were the only fighter I knew that knows how to use both magic AND ki... too bad none of those pathetic blasts managed to hit me."

---

Meanwhile, trapped inside Rei's shrine, the girls, Sammy, and Darien could hear all the carnage of the battle outside, but were helpless to do anything. Rei was on the ground, collapsing and covering her head with her arms, as if tormented by an unseen specter.

"They're too much..." Rei said painfully. "All that power... just too much!"

"We've got to see what's going on out there!" Serena shouted. "Sparrow could be in trouble!"

"Right," said Ami, standing close to Sammy and clutching his hand. "I say we transform...."

The five girls took out their henshin sticks and immediately transformed into the Sailor Senshi. Meanwhile, Darien quickly transformed into Tuxedo Mask.

"Wait!" Sammy shouted as Tuxedo Mask and the Senshi rushed toward the shrine door. "Sparrow put a magical seal on there, remember?"

"Oh yeah...." Sailor Moon said.

  
"Then we'll have to break it!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. "Jupiter Axe of Lightning!"

Sailor Jupiter leapt toward the door with a large axe in her hands, pulsating with lightning energy. But when she swung it into the seal, it shattered, zapping Sailor Jupiter with a large surge of lightning and knocking her down onto her back.

"Sailor Jupiter!" shouted the other four Senshi, quickly helping the Senshi of Lightning to her feet. "Are you okay?  


"Fine..." Sailor Jupiter said, rubbing the back of her head. "But I think we need more power to break that seal..."

"How about a Planet Power attack?" Sailor Mercury suggested.

  
"That just might work!" Sailor Venus said. "Let's do it!"

The five Senshi quickly joined hands and gathered their energies. Then, they fired a large blast of magic at the seal. The powerful blast quickly shattered Sparrow's seal and quickly allowed the Senshi access to the outside of the temple, just as Sparrow was firing a large blast of ki at Jekelai. The blast slammed into Jekelai and created a large explosion, and Sparrow quickly turned around to scold the Senshi.

  
"I told all of you to stay inside the shrine!" Sparrow shouted angrily. "Jekelai is too dangerous, and none of you are strong enough to face him!"

"But we want to help!" Sailor Moon said, noticing the many cuts in Sparrow's outfit and the blood running down her lip. "And it looks like you might need it..."

"Stay out of this, Sailor Moon," Jekelai said, walking out of the large cloud of snow and dust thrown up by the explosion. His gold and black outfit was also torn, and the cuts and burns on Jekelai's body testified that he was in a similar condition as Sparrow was. "I'll make sure no one interferes..."

With great speed, Jekelai flew at Sparrow and tackled her, knocking her back into a large, black portal that appeared behind her and sucked both Jekelai and Sparrow into the unknown. Before the Senshi could reach the portal, it snapped shut, leaving them standing outside Rei's temple, shivering in the cold snow.

"Crud!" Sammy shouted, looking at the place where the portal had been. "Sparrow and Jekelai disappeared!"  


"That's not good..." Sailor Mercury said grimly. "You guys, Sparrow's in huge trouble!"

But then, another portal opened in the exact spot as the last one had been. As the Senshi gazed into it, desperately hoping that Sparrow would pop out, they received a surprise. A tall man with long, teal hair and snow-white skin stepped out of the portal, smiling. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue, and his ears were long and pointed, like an elf's. He wore a red bodysuit that shined with a metallic glow, indicating that it was armor of some sort. Four cloaked men stepped out of the portal after him, each of them armed with swords.

"My name is Peschal, and I'm here to make sure that no one interferes with Lord Jekelai's battle!" the man said. "And that means destroying all of you!"

"Sammy, run!" Sailor Mercury shouted, immediately turning toward Sammy with a look of fear on her face. "Run and don't look back!"

  
"No, Sailor Mercury, I can't leave you!" Sammy shouted. "I... you're right, I know you can win! But please be careful..."

Even though he desperately wanted to stay and help Ami, he had confidence in her and the other Senshi's ability to defeat Peschal. But as he ran back toward his home, another thought entered his mind.

__

"Of course... I'm no help with Ami without my sword!" Sammy thought, a smile on his lips. _"And it's back at home..."_

As Sammy ran away from the battlefield, Peschal turned toward him.

"Oh, no you don't!" Peschal shouted, firing a string-like substance in the boy's direction. "You're going to stay... and watch your precious friends die!"

But as Sammy, turned away from the fight and oblivious to Peschal's attack, continued to run, Sailor Mercury ran in front of the attack. The large blast of string wrapped around her left arm and began pulling her in toward Peschal. 

"Mercury Ice Javelin!"

Using her other arm, Sailor Mercury heaved a long spear of ice at Peschal's shoulder, as well as the string ensnaring her arm. The javelin easily cut the string, and then embedded itself in Peschal's shoulder, causing him to stagger backward as his entire left arm was encased in ice.

"Gotcha," Sailor Mercury whispered. Suddenly, two of the hooded mercenaries leapt upon her, sword in hand. Sailor Mercury screamed.

  
"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

Eight rings of fire flew at the two hooded men. They turned around to avoid the attack, but it was too late. Four of the rings hit each one of the mercenaries, instantly disintegrating them.

  
"Thanks, Sailor Mars!" Sailor Mercury shouted, and Sailor Mars gave her a thumbs-up. Meanwhile, Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon had their hands full with the other two hooded men.

"Die!" one of the men shouted, leaping at Tuxedo Mask and slashing him across the arm with his blade, making a small cut in Tuxedo Mask's arm. Tuxedo Mask stumbled backward, but managed to throw several roses, which hit the hooded man in the chest and disintegrated him instantly.

"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon shouted, furiously struggling to hold back one of the hooded men with her henshin stick as he pinned her to the ground and swung his blade at her head repeatedly. "Hurry!"

"Venus Arrow Of Beauty!"  
  
"Jupiter Axe of Lightning!"

Peschal managed to dodge Venus' arrow as it whizzed past the side of his body, but Jupiter's powerful axe scored a direct hit to Peschal's forehead, electrocuting him and knocking him to the ground on one knee.

"What a pathetic mercenary you are," Sailor Jupiter taunted, a smile on her face. Peschal returned the smile with one of his own, and slammed his hands into the ground, causing a large rumbling sound to emanate beneath the Senshi's feet. Suddenly, a large rock formation jutted upward from the earth beneath Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter, rising them into the air and pinning them between slabs of deadly rock.

"Sailor Moon!" shouted Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter as the rocks began to squeeze their bodies. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon was on the ground, still struggling with the final hooded man. Just as it seemed that he was about to bring his blade right down on Sailor Moon's forehead, he received a sharp blow on the back of the head by Tuxedo Mask's staff. The man rolled off of Sailor Moon and hit the ground, disintegrating instantly. Sailor Moon stood up and wrapped her arms around Tuxedo Mask's chest in a tight embrace.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Sailor Moon said in a girlish squeal.

  
"Sailor Moon, help!!!" shouted Sailor Venus.

"Hurry!" shouted Sailor Jupiter. The two Senshi were still being squeezed by the slabs of rock, and were now in imminent danger of being crushed. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask stopped hugging and rushed immediately to the Senshi's aid, followed by Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars.

---

Meanwhile, Jekelai's portal had taken Jekelai and Sparrow straight to the large throne room of Jekelai's huge space fortress, where the two warriors continued their brutal battle.

"Wrath of the Fallen Star!" Jekelai shouted, creating hundreds of large rocks that flew at Sparrow, smashing into the ground and creating a large, dome-shaped explosion. Sparrow zoomed out of the blast radius and swung at Jekelai's chest with her sword, creating a large cut that caused him to stagger backward and clutch his chest. Then, Sparrow leapt up and spun around, kicking Jekelai in the face and knocking him to the ground.

"Eternal Shaft of Light!" 

Sparrow waved her arms, and a large ring of light appeared above Jekelai. The ring lit up and formed a huge column, which bombarded Jekelai with a huge amount of both magic and ki energy. Sparrow smiled as she heard Jekelai's anguished screams from within the column of light.

  
"That's right, Jekelai... suffer for every evil thing you've ever done!" Sparrow shouted in rage.

"I will not be defeated by a whore like you!" Jekelai shouted back, and a large, spherical wave of black light cascaded forth from his body, drowning out the white light of Sparrow's attack and engulfing her in dark magical energy. This time, it was her turn to scream, and she let out a loud shriek as the wave washed over her. When the attack had finished, both fighters were on the ground, and struggling to get to their feet.

"This isn't... over..." Jekelai said, and he was the first to get up.

"You don't know the half of it..." Sparrow replied, getting to her feet a second after Jekelai. "I would die happily sending you to your grave... but I know I won't die... I'm stronger than you, and I'll exterminate you, Jekelai!"

The stillness of the ravaged throne room gave way to the immense amount of energy still emanating from Jekelai and Sparrow's bodies, which radiated and sent out a loud roar to anyone who happened to be observing. Neither of them cared about anything else but destroying each other... but in the back of Jekelai's mind, a faint voice still remained, one that opposed all of the fighting... but it was still trapped, prevented from reaching the surface. The fight would continue on.

---

Back on Earth, the fight between Peschal and the Senshi was only just beginning.

"Mars Flaming Cannon!"

  
"Mercury Ice Javelin!"

Fireballs and spears of ice crashed into the rock formation that had trapped Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, but they simply exploded against the mighty stone, failing to extricate the two trapped Senshi. Peschal let out a loud, screeching laugh.

"Try as you might, you foolish Senshi will never succeed!" Peschal shouted. "And soon, two of your friends will meet their doom!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Sailor Moon shouted, stepping forward and pointing her henshin stick at the large rock formation. "My friends will soon be free!"

A large burst of magical energy flew out from Sailor Moon's henshin stick and crashed into the rocks, crumbling them in an instant and freeing the two Senshi, their exhausted bodies quickly falling to the ground.

"That was... a close one..." groaned Sailor Venus. "Thanks, Sailor Moon..."

  
"Your relief will be short-lived!" shouted Peschal, pointing his arms at the two Senshi. The string-like substance that had wrapped around Sailor Mercury's arm earlier now flew at Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, quickly wrapping around their arms and pinning them to their sides, tying the two Senshi to one another and pulling them back toward Peschal, who again began to laugh as he posed victoriously with the two bound Senshi. "What'cha gonna do NOW, Sailor Moon? Huh? Huh?"

"Let them go!" Sailor Moon shrieked. "Or..."

"The Masked Warrior will strike you down!"

"Huh?"  


"Wha?"   


"Who?"

"Oh my goodness..."  


"Sammy!"

That last phrase had been screamed by Sailor Mercury, who turned around and was shocked to see a masked teenager standing before her, whom she instantly knew was Sammy. His costume consisted of a shining blue jumpsuit with red lightning bolts on the sides, and a blue luchadore mask with similar design, except that the lightning bolt was on his forehead. He clutched his katana in his right hand, which was adorned with a white glove.

"Okay, Sammy, that is such a ripoff of Ricochet's costume," Sailor Venus said, temporarily ignoring her peril.

"It's the only one they had!" Sammy shouted. "And you weren't supposed to reveal my identity..."

  
"I know it's you," Peschal said. "Only an idiotic child like yourself would try such a stupid trick."

  
"Sammy, what are you doing?" Sailor Mercury shouted fearfully. "I know you want to help, but..."

"Ami, please..." Sammy whispered. "I... I promise I'll be careful."

"You're so strong, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said warmly. "As long as you're really ready to fight with us..."

"I am," Sammy said. "As soon as I got the sword back, I bought this costume and trained every night in my room... I've gotta defend my friends, Ami... I have to defend all of them!"

"Then start by defending THIS!" Peschal shouted, firing a small, green energy ball as Sammy. As soon as it hit him, it dispersed into the shape of a small dome and closed around Sammy, blasting him with electricity before disappearing and knocking Sammy to his knees.

  
"Sammy!" Sailor Mercury screamed. But with seemingly inhuman speed, Sammy immediately recovered from the attack, rushed forward, and slashed away the strings binding Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus. As soon as they were cut free, the two Senshi turned around and quickly took their revenge.

"Jupiter Axe of Lightning!"  


"Venus Arrow of Beauty!"

Sailor Venus' arrow, infused with the lightning from Sailor Jupiter's attack, rushed at Peschal and hit him straight in the chest, knocking him back and causing him to yell loudly as he flew backward and smashed into a tree. The arrow disappeared, and Peschal quickly recovered, growling as he lumbered toward Sammy and the others. 

"You won't get away with that, you foolish child!" Peschal shouted. "And I know just who to attack first!"

Peschal fired a large blast of the string substance at Sammy. Sammy leapt away and stuck his tongue out as the attack whizzed seemly harmlessly past him.

"Missed me!" Sammy shouted. Peschal sneered. 

"I wasn't aiming for you, Sammy..."

"Sammy!"

  
Sammy turned around and gasped in horror as he saw Sailor Mercury, wrapped up in the string from her feet all the way to her neck. Sammy turned back toward Peschal and glared in rage, and then brought his sword down on the string, trying to chop it like he had done to the string around Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus. But this time, his sword bounced harmlessly off.

"It's my ultimate attack, Sammy!" Peschal shouted. "You can't break this string, Sammy..."  


"So then we'll just have to break you!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. Sailor Moon pointed her henshin stick at Peschal.

"Moon Blessed Salvation!" Sailor Moon shouted. A huge wave of magical energy slammed into Peschal, seemingly a fatal attack. However, Peschal laughed as the wave hit him, leaving him completely undamaged.

"Fools! I forgot to tell you why exactly that this is my ultimate attack!" Peschal shouted. "Any damage that I take is automatically transferred to its victim... which in this case, Sammy, is your precious Sailor Mercury."

  
As soon as those words had registered in Sammy's mind, a loud, piercing scream from Sailor Mercury shattered his thoughts and brought him crashing down to Earth, as waves of pain began to course through his own body as well, from deep within.

"AMI!" Sammy shouted, turning back toward her with tears streaming down his face, the teardrops freezing as they hit the snow-covered ground. 

"Don't... worry about me, Sammy..." Sailor Mercury said, her body numb to the pain as she shivered in the cold. "Just... worry about beating him... I believe in-"

Sailor Mercury's words were suddenly stifled as more string appeared, wrapping around Sailor Mercury's face entirely and preventing her from breathing. Sammy gasped as he realized that if he didn't beat Peschal soon, Sailor Mercury would suffocate. 

__

"Ami... I can't help her!" Sammy thought desperately. _"I'm going to fail her again!"_

Sammy turned toward Peschal, his eyes as thin as tiny paper slits as all of his desperation channeled itself into brutal rage. His katana took on an eerie black glow, but Peschal simply chuckled as Sammy walked toward him. The other Senshi and Tuxedo Mask looked on in horror.

"Sammy, no!" Sailor Moon shouted. "If you hurt him, Ami will-"

Ignoring Sailor Moon, Sammy leapt up into the air, his katana raised high above his head. He leapt at Peschal and came down right in front of him, landing inbetween Peschal's body and Peschal's hands, which were both holding the string wrapped around Sailor Mercury. 

"It's over," Sammy whispered. Peschal barely had time to utter a scream as his body split right down the middle, cleaved in half by Sammy's blade. As the two halves of the vicious mercenary fell to the ground and disintegrated, the strings wrapped around Ami's body were cut as well, and Sailor Mercury fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Sammy sheathed his sword and quickly rushed to her side, taking off his mask and wrapping his arms around Sailor Mercury in a tight embrace. The Senshi and Darien looked on in shock and awe.

"I don't freaking believe it," Sailor Mars said.

"I believe..." Sailor Moon whispered. 

Sammy and Sailor Mercury hugged for several more seconds before finally breaking off the hug and slowly standing up.

"Sammy, you... you saved my life again," Sailor Mercury said. "How did you... how did you do it?"

"Somehow I just... I just knew where to cut, right down the middle," Sammy said. "Oh, Ami... I thought you were going to die! I didn't want to lose you..."

"He took a pretty big risk attacking Peschel like that," Tuxedo Mask said. "You could have seriously hurt her, Sammy..."

"I would have died anyway," Sailor Mercury replied. "Sammy, it's not your fault, don't blame yourself... you saved my life, and-"

"But it's my fault you were targeted in the first place!" Sammy sobbed, blinking back tears. "Ami, you almost died, and I-"

But Sammy was quickly silenced by Sailor Mercury's lips, pressing gently against his own. As Sammy closed his eyes and let the kiss overtake him, he wrapped his arms around Sailor Mercury's chest and embraced her tightly, never wanting the kiss to end. The snow had died down to a graceful flurry, and the wind whipped gently around the two lovers as their lips opened slightly, letting their tongues meet for the very first time. 

"Sammy..." Sailor Moon said softly, transfixed by Sammy and Sailor Mercury's beautiful kiss. "There aren't two soulmates in the universe as lovely together as the two of you... _except Darien and I, of course!_"

But as the two lovers continued their kiss for what became more than fifteen seconds, Sailor Mars put her hand to her forehead and let out quiet cry of pain, causing Sammy and Sailor Mercury to abruptly end their kiss and turn to face her, along with the other Senshi and Tuxedo Mask.

  
"Sailor Mars, what's wrong?" Tuxedo Mask shouted.

"They... they're back!"

---

In a high-rise office building somewhere in downtown Tokyo, a business meeting was taking place, the room's inhabitants completely unaware of the surprise about to befall them.

"And, as you can see, Mr. Raigeki, stocks are up six percent after the announcement of our merger with the Maruyama Corporation," said a neatly-dressed man, pointing to a pie-chart mounted on a stand-up display. "So-"

Suddenly, a man loudly crashing through the window of the room shattered the order of the meeting, as Jekelai landed on the large desk in the middle of the room, causing the twelve businessmen and businesswomen seated around it to quickly get up out of their seats and rush toward the door. With a loud shout of anger, Jekelai let loose a burst of energy, destroying everything in the room and blasting all twelve people into oblivion, as well as shattering the rest of the windows. Sparrow floated in through one of the destroyed windows and angrily tsk-tsked at Jekelai.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you that killing innocent people is wrong?" Sparrow shouted. "May their spirits rest in a better place..."

"How did you get back here?" Jekelai shouted. "You can make portals of your own?"

"Yes... but it takes more energy for me than it does you," Sparrow said, breathing heavily and clutching her chest. Jekelai smiled.

"Just the opportunity I need!" Jekelai shouted, tackling Sparrow and plunging her out through the window of the room. Sparrow screamed as she and Jekelai careened through the air, several hundred feet above the ground, and then slammed into the side of another office building, plunging through steel beams and concrete before plowing into a large lobby with incredible force, then slamming through the wall and through several other rooms before coming out on the other side of the building and falling onto the roof of another office building, at a far lower level. Sparrow skidded on the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust before finally skidding to a stop at the edge of the roof and collapsing onto her back, her body racked with extreme pain.

"Look at that," Jekelai said, walking up next to Sparrow but then turning away from her and looking down at the streets below, where people were running around in a panic after seeing the carnage inflicted on the other building. A large hole had been pierced in both sides of the building, and though the hole was still smoking, no significant structural damage had been inflicted. The building would survive. "We were too slow to be a comet... these foolish humans must then be thinking only one thing... terrorists."

"They think..." Sparrow said, slowly rising to her feet, "it's a comet. I manipulated all of their minds..."

"Taking even MORE of your energy, Sparrow Migoto," Jekelai said, smiling and turning toward her. "Now you'll be mine for sure..."

"I don't think so," Sparrow said. 

  
"Why not?" Jekelai asked. 

  
"Because of this," Sparrow replied, plunging her sword into Jekelai's stomach. Jekelai gasped, immediately recognizing his blunder. He looked down and saw Sparrow's sword plunged through his chest, and then looked back up and saw Sparrow, still with the same cold expression on her face.

"You... you.... you..."

"Wench? Slut? Whore?" Sparrow said tauntingly. "Please... those names are so immature for a grown man like yourself..."

"DIE!"

Jekelai fired a large burst of magical energy at Sparrow, which she was completely unprepared for. Sparrow was blasted backward, off the side of the building, and left hovering about a hundred feet above the street below, her sword now out of Jekelai's stomach, clutched in her hands instead. Jekelai sneered as he saw the damage that his blast had done to Sparrow's face, now covered in cuts and burns like the rest of her body. She groaned weakly, knowing that her energy was almost completely spent in the battle.

"I still stabbed you," Sparrow said angrily.

"A scratch, a scratch," Jekelai said. "It will heal... but not before I finish you off!"

"SAILOR ULTIMATE PLANET POWER!!!"  


A huge wave of magical energy crashed down onto the roof of the building, the energy concentrated on Jekelai. It engulfed him and lit up the roof with a huge, rainbow-colored explosion. Sparrow looked down to see the five Sailor Senshi, standing in the street next to the building, their hands linked as a crowd of onlookers gathered around them.

"I said I didn't _need _your help!" Sparrow shouted down at the Senshi. "Don't you understand?"

Meanwhile, Jekelai, who had survived the attack with minimal damage, had floated out next to Sparrow and had both of his arms pointed at the crowd and the Senshi.

"Sparrow, since you can't keep your foolish Senshi friends away, this battle will have to be postponed!" Jekelai shouted. "But before I go back to my palace, I shall exterminate the Senshi and all who have come to cheer them on!"

A huge burst of magical energy appeared in Jekelai's hands, and Sparrow gasped as she realized what Jekelai was about to do. But before she could stop him, it was too late. The blast rushed down toward the huge crowd, streaking downward with amazing speed. The Senshi gasped in terror as the blast rushed toward them, and Sammy and Tuxedo Mask, who were standing in the crowd, gasped as well. Jekelai disappeared into a swiftly-created portal, while Sparrow rushed to block the awesome attack.

__

"I've got to put my anger aside and save everyone!" Sparrow thought desperately as she raced the magical beam down to the street. _"Please, please let me stop this from hurting anyone..."_

Finally, Sparrow managed to overtake the beam. As she flew in front of it, she stopped and extended her arms and legs to block the huge blast. She screamed, and there was a brilliant explosion. Then, Sparrow's world went black.

---

Cliffy! XD Yeah, you guys shoulda seen that coming. But I bet nobody saw Sammy and Ami's makeout session coming. Yeah, this is the first time they've gotten to first base... finishing behind Trunks and Ami by a good ten months. So, what did you guys think of the chapter? It deserves at least a few reviews... right? Like, about 10? Or 20? ^_^ Pwease?


	12. Sparks And Fire

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission.

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**,a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

* * *

  
__

"Jekelai... bastard... trying to kill all of those innocent people! When I wake up, I'm going to stop him... I'm going to... going to..."

Sparrow opened her eyes, and looked around, trying to figure out where she was. She had been lying on a small, pink bed with a pink blanket that had white cartoon bunnies on it. As she looked around the room, she could see stuffed animals leaning against the walls, which were an endless sea of bright pink.

"Somebody likes pink," Sparrow said quietly, sitting up in the bed. She quickly inspected her body, and noticed that most of her wounds had healed, and she could feel very little pain in her body. "Good, my regeneration's still working..."

Sparrow looked out the window and saw a mostly black sky, indicating that night had fallen. The door to the room, which had been closed before, now creaked open, and Serena slowly stepped in, dressed in a beautiful silk nightgown, the same shade of pink as the walls of the room. As Serena saw Sparrow, she smiled, and immediately ran to Sparrow's side.

"Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" Serena said happily. "The others will be so happy to see you... we thought we might have lost you!"

Sparrow simply hopped off of Serena's bed and gave a bright smile, happy that Serena and the others had taken care of her while she'd been unconscious, and also relieved that she was, in fact, alive.

"The others... are they still here?" Sparrow asked. "And I'm glad to see you too... this is your house, I presume... and your room?"

"Mm-hmm," Serena said, nodding her head. "And yeah, the others are downstairs... Darien had to go home, but Rei, Mina, and Lita are in the living room..."

  
"What about Sammy and Ami?" Sparrow asked, remembering the other two people that she'd met that day.

"They're both in Sammy's room," Serena said, and immediately a sly smile began to form on Sparrow's face. Serena giggled, and then said: "It's not what you think, they're just talking and stuff! I went in to check on them a minute ago just to make sure."

"I was just joking," Sparrow said, also letting out a slight giggle. "And I'd love to go down to the living room and visit with the other girls, if that's alright. What about your parents? Do they know that-"

"Don't worry, I didn't tell them you're a demon," Serena said. "I told them you're one of the new Sailor Senshi... they said that you can stay here until you're better, but it looks like you're already better! You recover pretty fast, Sparrow..."

"My body can regenerate fairly quickly," Sparrow said, "so if someone wanted to kill me, they'd have to do it really quick. Jekelai almost did it today... I saw my life flash before my eyes!"

  
"Sparrow...." Serena said, noticing the worried look on Sparrow's face, and gaining one of her own. "You... you saved us all. You risked your life and saved hundreds of people... you really are a hero, Sparrow."

"Thank you, Serena," Sparrow replied. "You guys... you shouldn't have interfered with my battle today. I almost had Jekelai beaten."

"I'm... sorry," Serena replied sadly. Sparrow simply smiled at Serena, giving her a reassuring grin.

  
"Don't worry, I'll get him next time!" Sparrow said happily. "Now let's go downstairs to see the others, okay? I can't wait to see them all!"

Serena and Sparrow quickly left Serena's room and headed downstairs to the living room, as all of Sparrow's worries about Jekelai temporarily melted away. She couldn't help but feel a nagging pain in her back, where a large scar still remained from one of Jekelai's beatings several years earlier. It was the only wound he'd ever given her that hadn't healed... but Sparrow knew that when Jekelai was dead, the wound would melt away and become nothing more than a bad memory.

* * *

  


"Sammy, hold still..."

"Ami, that... heeheehee... really tickles!"

Ami and Sammy both giggled loudly as Ami used her normally gentle hands to tickle Sammy's ribs, and Sammy thrashed about on the floor in a futile attempt to evade Ami's tickling. Finally, after about thirty seconds, Ami stopped, allowing Sammy to stand up and brush himself off. After the strenuous events of just a few hours ago, both Sammy and Ami knew that laughter would be the best way to help them forget about what might have been. And after jokes had failed (Ami's sense of humor wasn't quite up to par with Sammy's), the two simply resorted to tickling one another, which easily did the trick.

"Okay, Sammy, but that means I win," Ami said, still giggling slightly. "Are you... okay with that?"

"Really now, Ami, I can't take any more of your tickling, it's just too much!" Sammy said, smiling. "Plus, I'm really worn out, so..."

"That's okay," Ami said. "Maybe you'll win next time!"

As Ami turned away from Sammy for a second, Sammy saw his chance. He swooped in and gently picked up Ami, setting her back down on the floor in a sitting position. As she realized what was happening, it was too late. Sammy had seized her ankle, taken off her sock, and began to tickle the sole of her right foot, a spot where Ami was particularly sensitive to tickling. She began giggling furiously, and Sammy began laughing as well.

"So, Ami, who wins this time?" Sammy asked, a smile on his face. Ami shook her head.

"Oh.... no.... Sammy Tsukino," Ami cried through insane giggles, "I will NOT... surrender... okay, okay, okay, you win! You win, Sammy!"

With a smile of satisfaction, Sammy flopped onto the floor and began breathing heavily, now legitimately worn out from the 'tickle war' he had just had with Ami. Ami flopped down next to him, also quite exhausted.

"You know..." Sammy breathed, looking over at Ami and smiling, "I think we should call this one a tie."

"Thank you, Sammy," Ami said, slowly nodding her head. "But... you did surrender first."

Before Sammy could reply, the door to the room opened, and Serena poked her head inside Sammy's room. Sammy and Ami immediately sat up and smiled nervously at Serena.

  
"Did I... miss something?" Serena asked. "You both look pretty tired..."

  
"Serena!" Sammy shouted, a red blush forming on his face. "You nosy goose! Get outta here!"

"Sammy and I were just engaging in a tickling contest," Ami said honestly, smiling at Serena. "And it was a tie."

"A tickling contest.... suuuuuuuure it was," Serena replied skeptically, causing both Sammy and Ami to blush. "Well, anyway, we're about to watch a movie downstairs... Sparrow really wants to see you guys, so you should probably come down to the living room. That is, if your 'tickling contest' is finished."

"For your information, it is finished," Sammy said, standing up and walking toward the door. "And we'd love to see Sparrow!"

"Yes, we would," Ami said, still smiling warmly at Sammy as the two of them exited the room together.

Ami never thought that she'd engage in something as... seemingly juvenile as a tickling contest. Certainly not with the kind of boyfriend that Ami had had in mind a couple of years back... someone like Greg. But with Sammy, she felt carefree... everything was fun with him, and everything they did made Ami feel so happy... especially when she knew Sammy felt the same way.

* * *

  


"And so there we were, wrapped up in this weird stringy stuff... Lita was pretty scared, but _I _sure wasn't!" said Mina, sitting on the couch next to Sparrow and telling her of the Senshi's earlier battle.

  
"Hey, I wasn't scared," Lita replied from the armchair across from the couch where Mina, Sparrow, and Rei were seated. "You were the one that was shaking... and you were right next to me, so I could tell."

  
"Sure I was," Mina replied sarcastically. "Anyway, that's when Sammy showed up, disguised as the Masked Warrior, defender of truth and justice and protector of the Sailor Senshi!"

"Well, speak of the devil," Rei said as Sammy walked into the room with Serena and Ami. "Actually, hero's probably a better way to put it. How are you guys doing?"

"Really good!" Sammy said, taking a seat next to Ami on the small two-person loveseat positioned inbetween two armchairs. Serena took the armchair on the other side of the loveseat, and now the seven teenagers were ready to watch the movie that Serena had rented earlier in the day, as she got up from the armchair and popped a videotape into the VCR on top of the moderately-sized TV facing all of the seats. As she went to sit back down in the armchair, Sammy and Serena's mother came in, carrying two large bags of popcorn. She gave one back to Mina, Rei, and Sparrow, and another back to Lita, Serena, Sammy, and Ami.

  
"Now, I want you guys to share that popcorn, do you understand?" Serena's mother asked in a friendly tone, while glaring at Serena, who was busily munching popcorn from the bag she'd been handed. "Especially you, Serena."

"But mom, it's so good!" Serena replied, her words barely discernible as they came out of her popcorn-stuffed mouth. "Alright, I'll share..."

As Serena's mother left the room, the tape began rolling and the movie started. Sammy turned his head to Serena, who was still munching popcorn.

"What movie did you get, sis?" Sammy asked, eliciting a muffled reply from Serena. Sammy sighed. "Stop stuffing your face and answer me!"

  
"Now, Sammy," Ami said, gripping Sammy's hand gently to calm him down. Finally, the bag of popcorn was tossed to Sammy, and as he caught it, he groaned slightly when he noticed how much popcorn was left.

"You ate like, half the bag in two minutes," Sammy sighed as he ate a few kernels of popcorn and passed the bag to Ami. "Now, what movie did you rent?"

"It's _Pirates of the Caribbean_, Sammy," Serena said loudly.

"Shh, you guys... the movie's about to start," Sparrow whispered, and Rei and Mina nodded in agreement.

* * *

  


A little more than two hours later...

"That was a pretty good movie, Serena!" Lita said, taking the tape out of the VCR and setting it down on the table.

"Oh my God, that Orlando Bloom is such a superhunk..." Mina sighed.

"I can name off _one _person hotter than Orlando Bloom," Serena said, a smile on her face. Rei groaned.

"We know, we know, Serena," Rei said. "It's Dari-"

"Johnny Depp," Serena said longingly, sighing even louder than Mina had. Ami giggled and turned to Serena.

"Now, what would Darien say if he heard you say those things?" Ami asked, smiling. "Wouldn't he be kind of jealous?"

"No, he wouldn't get jealous," Serena replied. "Darien _knows _that I'd love him just the same, no matter what... even if Johnny Depp offered to be my boyfriend, I'd turn him down for Darien anyday."

"But sis, you just said-"

"I know what Serena means," Sparrow said, smiling. "No matter what Darien looks like, it's what's on the inside that counts, and _that's _what Serena loves. Plus, I think she's probably joking about this Johnny Depp fellow, whoever he is."

"Oh yeah, I forgot... you're not from this world, are you?" Serena asked. "Um, did you like... get that movie? I mean, you know what the main points are and everything, right?"  


"Don't worry, Serena!" Sparrow said. "I understood the movie just fine, don't worry... stuff like that goes on in my world all the time. And I know a _lot _of people hotter than both Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp."

  
"In your world?" Mina asked, and Sparrow nodded. "You've gotta take me there!"

* * *

  


After Mina, Rei, and Lita had left for the evening, Serena stood out on the front porch, ready to say goodbye to Sparrow as well.

"So you'll just be staying in that space pod in the park, right?" Serena asked. "Because if you need a place to stay-"

  
"It's okay, Serena," Sparrow said. "I don't mind the space pod, it's nice and warm. And I've cloaked it so no one will see me. It doesn't take much for me to get to sleep anyway."

  
"And you're sure you won't need a place to stay?" Serena asked.

"Positive," Sparrow replied. "Absolutely, 100 percent sure."

Sparrow waved at Serena, and then floated back to the nearby clearing, exhausted from her long day and ready to get a good night's sleep in the space pod. Serena waved back at Sparrow, and then opened the door to her house. But what she saw when she opened the door surprised her... sort of. Standing on the front doorstep were Sammy and Ami, locked in the middle of a deep kiss. They ignored Serena, continuing the kiss for a few seconds more.

"Goodnight, Sammy," Ami said as she gently pulled away from the kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"See you too, Ami," Sammy replied. "I love you..."  


"Love you too, Sammy," Ami said. She turned toward the doorway, and there stood Serena, an inquisitive look on her face.

  
"A-hem," Serena said, tapping her foot impatiently. Ami let out an embarrassed squeak, and then sidled past Serena, making her way out onto the porch.

"Well, um... you know what happened today, I still have to thank Sammy," Ami said, smiling.

"I think you've thanked him enough," Serena said. "Lessee... makeout session in front of Rei's temple, thirty minutes to an hour of talking and tickling, and now this shocker, right in front of my eyes. It's kind of a system shock to see your little brother making out with your best friend..."

As Sammy began to speak, Serena smiled warmly, and Sammy stopped to hear what Serena had to say.

"But... I'm glad it's you, Ami," Serena said, "and not some bratty seventh-grader who I'd probably end up tying up and shoving into a closet just to keep her and Sammy from annoying me all the time. You're a really good friend, Ami... and I'm glad that the two of you are such a wonderful couple."

"Thank you, Serena," Ami said gracefully. "I'm glad that Sammy and I have the Moon Princess' blessing..."  
  
Sammy chuckled slightly at Ami's statement, and then kissed her on the cheek one last time before she turned and walked down the sidewalk, back to her own home. Serena walked inside the living room, and shut the front door, then turned to Sammy.

  
"And as for you, Sammy... isn't it your bedtime?" Serena asked.

  
"Serena!" Sammy said in an annoyed tone. "I'm not even tired..."  


"Right now, mister, or I'll tell mom!" Serena said, poking Sammy in the back. When Sammy reached the bottom of the stairs, Serena called out to him. "Sammy, about today... that was really, really cool of you... you probably saved a lot of the Senshi's lives, maybe even mine."

"Sparrow's the hero," Sammy said. "She saved us all, including me..."  


"But you... you risked even more than she did," Serena said. "Sparrow's got powers, and regeneration... all you have is a sword and your determination, Sammy, and you still saved Ami's life when none of us could. You really did great today, Sammy."  


Sammy smiled at Serena, whose calm words of praise quickly reverted back to marching orders.

  
"Now... hurry up and get to bed, Sammy!" Serena said. "And be sure to wash your face and brush your teeth!"  


__

"Geez, who does she think she is, mom and dad?" Sammy thought to himself. _"She's right, though, I should be getting__some rest... thanks, sis."_

* * *

  


That night, Sammy could barely sleep a wink. He stared up at the ceiling, thinking of the battle with Peschal.

__

"The Dark Crystal... I could sense it," Sammy thought. _"When Ami was about to suffocate, about to die, I... I felt such horrible pain, piercing, stabbing, burning... it was the crystal... the pain turned into strength, it floated into my hands... I didn't defeat Peschal and save Ami... the Dark Crystal did."_

And while Sammy pondered over the crystal, the darkness of his room hid another threat, silently sneaking up on him. The green speck of light had found Sammy early that day, pursuing him as soon as he had began lunch on the school's rooftop, and had watched him during his battle with Peschal. Cestari's secret weapon watched Sammy even now, and knew the perfect place to strike first. It floated over to the corner of Sammy's room, unseen by the young boy's closed eyes. As it reached the corner, it fluttered to the floor and lit up with a tiny green flame. The flame hit the fibers of the carpet and singed them, ever so slightly... and then the speck floated outside Sammy's window. The tiny fire started by the speck of light was beginning to catch now, as it began slowly sweeping over Sammy's carpet. Within seconds, the entire corner of Sammy's room was now engulfed in flames, and the smoke created by the fire quickly entered Sammy's nose, ceasing his thoughts and causing him to sit up in shock. What he saw when he awoke made him cry out in horror, as the tiny green flame had turned orange, yellow, and red, and was now sweeping through the left side of his room. Sammy rolled out of the bed, quickly grabbing what he could... a picture of Ami and himself together that he kept on his dresser by his bedside, and the katana, Alexis' katana, that he kept under the bed. He could have grabbed the Masked Warrior costume as well, but there simply wasn't enough time. The costume would simply have to burn.

* * *

  


Quickly as he could, Sammy awoke the other sleeping members of his family, and they quickly evacuated the house as the entire upstairs began to light up in flames. As they ran out to the front yard, Sammy's father dashed to a small red phone, mounted on a telephone pole nearby on the corner of their street. He dialed 911 while Sammy, Serena, and their mother stood in front of the house, shivering from the winter night's cold while watching their home quickly burn.

"This is horrible!" Serena cried, tears beginning to appear in her eyes. "I've spent my whole life in this house... it can't all disappear like this..."  


"It's okay, Serena... at least we're all safe," said her mother reassuringly, wrapping her arm around Serena both to keep her warm and to calm her down. Meanwhile, Sammy simply watched the growing inferno in stunned shock.

__

"It's... it's them," Sammy thought. _"Jekelai... he's got something to do with this, I know it..."_

A few minutes after Sammy and Serena's father had dialed the emergency services, a firetruck rushed to the scene, its siren blaring loudly. By now, the fire had destroyed nearly half of the house, which already seemed on the verge of collapse.

"Hurry!" shouted Serena's mother as the firefighters frantically rushed in with hoses, poised to save the house. "We've all gotten out, there's no one inside... please, please save our house!"

"Oh, Sammy..." sobbed Serena, leaning on her brother's shoulder for comfort, a role which Sammy was only used to with Ami, and not with his big sister Serena. "Please, please tell me this has nothing to do with those Pale Mercenary guys..."  


__

"Uh oh..." Sammy thought, thinking the same thing as Serena was. _"Should I tell her?"_

The firemen rushed toward the burning house, but were immediately blinded by a bright green light which burst forth from the ground right in front of the burning side of the house. When the light had disappeared, four tall, green creatures stood in front of the house, blocking the path of the firemen, who ran back into their firetruck and sped off into the night, abandoning the burning house. The four creatures, who were human-like in appearance except for their transparent green bodies, advanced on Sammy and his family, who now knew the reason why the house was burning.

"Sammy, they're coming after you!" shouted Sammy's father. "What did you do this time..."  


"Please, this isn't Sammy's fault!" shouted Sammy's mother, still supportive of her son.

"But there's got to be a reason these monsters are coming after Sammy..."

"Moon Crystal Power!"

Serena's transformation sent the four creatures stumbling back toward the house for a brief second, but they quickly recovered and began firing small, shard-like projectiles at the Tsukino family. Sailor Moon ran in front of Sammy and her parents and formed a barrier of magical energy, blocking the shards up against it.

"Serena, no!" Sammy shouted.

"I can't keep this up for long, but you have to protect mom and dad, Sammy!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Get them both somewhere safe, now!"

The barrage of shards continued, and a small crack appeared in Sailor Moon's energy shield. Then, another crack appeared, causing Sammy and Serena's mother to scream out in fright.

  
"Please, go!" Sailor Moon shouted, turning back toward her family. "Hurry and-"

Then, with a mighty crash, the barrier shattered, and Sailor Moon was bombarded with deadly shards, quickly bringing her to her knees as several gashes appeared on her body, and her Senshi outfit was nearly shredded.

"Serena!" screamed Sammy and his parents at the same time. Sammy pulled his katana out, holding it in front of him and getting ready to strike.

"Sammy..." Sailor Moon said weakly, rising to her feet. "I'll.... be alright..."

But Sailor Moon couldn't stop Sammy, who angrily rushed the four creatures, determined to avenge his sister. He slammed his sword into the side of one of the creatures, creating a large crack in the creature's side.

__

"They're made of some sort of hard crystal substance..." Sammy thought. _"Which means they can be shattered!"_

But then, the creature's powerful arm swung into Sammy's chest, knocking him to the side and sending him skidding through the snow-covered grass. Sammy groaned and weakly stood up, brushing the snow from his body and turning back toward the four creatures.

  
"Sammy, no!" Sailor Moon shouted with renewed vigor. "I'm fine! You have to get mom and dad out of here!"

The creature whom Sammy had attacked turned and rushed him, preparing to headbutt him right in the stomach. Sammy, in his weary and stunned state, could only stare and watch in horror, as there was no hope of dodging the attack that was certain to come.

"Mercury Ice Javelin!"

  
Out of nowhere, a large spear of ice slammed into the crack in the creature's side, instantly shattering it into pieces and causing it to disintegrate. Sammy, Serena, and their parents looked up to the roof of their burning home, where the ice spear had originated. Standing on the flaming roof, completely oblivious to the danger of their position, were Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus. Sammy gave Sailor Mercury a smile that clearly communicated his immense relief, and the four Senshi jumped down from the roof to confront the three remaining monsters.

"Sammy, are you alright?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Serena, Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino, are you..."

"We're all fine, Ami..." Sammy said quietly. "But... our house isn't..."

"You're all going to pay for what you bastards did to our friends' home!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. "Jupiter Axe of Lightning!"

Sailor Jupiter brought her powerful axe down on one of the crystal creatres, destroying it. The two remaining creatures leapt up and fired a large shockwave at the Sailor Senshi, but Sailor Moon formed a new energy shield and deflected the attack.

"Now... take... this!" Sailor Moon shouted, lowering the energy shield as the shockwaves faded. "Moon Blessed Salvation!"

Sailor Moon fired a blast of magical energy from her henshin stick, shattering the last two creatures. Then, she detransformed and fell to her knees, sobbing. Sammy and the other Senshi immediately ran over to comfort her.

  
"What's wrong, Serena?" asked Sailor Mars.

"My house, you guys..." Serena sobbed. "It's... it's gone..."  
  
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury shouted, quickly spinning around and blasting the burning house with a torrent of water, immediately extinguishing the fires. Once the fires were gone, it was easy to see the damage that had been done to the house. Its upper floor was almost completely destroying, along with the living room and part of the den. The only room that hadn't suffered significant damage was the kitchen, far from the flames. But the house was still too damaged to be saved.

"It's all gone..." Sammy said sadly, tightly hugging his sister as she sobbed into his chest. "It's..."

"I'm really, really sorry I didn't get here earlier," Sailor Mercury said, seemingly on the verge of tears. "Sammy, I..."

  
"It's all my fault the house got burned," Sammy said. "Those bad guys were after me, and-"

  
"Sammy Tsukino, don't you dare think that!" Sammy's mother said firmly. "No matter what happens, we're your family, Sammy... what happened to the house had nothing to do with you.... we'll always love you, and we'll always be by your side, no matter what."

  
"That's right, son," said Sammy's father. "We're a family, each and every one of us... and we have to stick together."

"Our insurance will allow us to get a new house, just as good as this one.... most of the memories will be gone, though," said Sammy's mother.  
  
"But you guys can make new memories!" Sailor Venus said optimistically. "But... where are you going to stay until... you know, you get a new house and all..."

  
"Probably a hotel or something," Serena sniffled. "I just hope I can still live close to you guys..."

"I live in a big house, and it's just my mother and I," Sailor Mercury said. "I'd feel really, really bad if I knew that my friends had to stay in some hotel somewhere... you can stay at my house, with my mother and me! At least until you can get a new house of your own..."

"Ami, you... you'd really do that?" Serena asked.

"No, we can't possibly... what would your mother think?" asked Sammy and Serena's mother.

"I'm sure she won't mind, really!" Sailor Mercury said kindly. "We've got more than enough room...

"Can I sleep in your room?" Sammy asked, although he knew what the response from his parents would be.

"Not bloody likely," replied Sammy's father. "Alright, Ami... we'll talk to your mother and see what she thinks, and then-"

"I'm sure you'll be able to stay!" Sailor Mercury said.

"Oh, Ami.... thank you so much!" Serena said, wrapping her arms around her friend's chest. Sammy also hugged Sailor Mercury, who smiled and embraced Sammy and Serena as the smoke from the raging fire slowly faded above their heads.

* * *

  


The next morning, Sparrow stumbled out of her space pod and walked over to Sammy and Serena's house, or at least what was left of it, blissfully unaware of the events of the previous night. Sparrow was still very tired, and she stumbled around as if in a stupor, all the way to Sammy and Serena's house, several blocks away. She stood in front of it and yawned, and as she blinked open her eyes, she gasped at what she saw.

"No.... no, it can't be!" Sparrow shouted fearfully. "The house... no one's here, it's burned...."

Sparrow dashed into the burned residence, frantically searching the ruins of the house for any sign of life. As she ran back out of the house, she noticed a note taped onto the front door, still standing amidst the ruins. She removed the note and read its contents.

__

To whomever it may concern,

Last night, our house was burned in a terrible fire. We all made it out safely and are now staying at the house of a friend, Dr. Kiruki Mizuno, in North Juuban. Anyone who wishes to contact us may call this phone number...

Sparrow declined to read the phone number and dropped the note on the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness they made it out safely... and as for this house... what is burned down can be built back up. I just hope I still remember how to do this..."

Sparrow closed her eyes and began to chant softly, a bright, red glow illuminating her body. As she chanted, the burned house slowly began to repair itself, the rebuilding process completely motivated by Sparrow's powerful magical energy. As the house began reforming itself from the ashes, the various material possessions within the house began to regenerate as well, every precious picture, expensive appliance, and article of clothing reforming like new. Several passersby watched in amazement as the house slowly rebuilt itself. Finally, after about two minutes, the job was done. The house in everything in it was as good as new, intact as it was before the terrible blaze. Sparrow opened her eyes, and immediately saw a small crowd of onlookers, gasping in shock.

"You... you... you just rebuilt that house out of thin air, lady!" shouted a man standing at the front of the crowd. Sparrow didn't bother with a reply. Instead, she simply waved her hand in front of the crowd of onlookers, wiping the rebuilding of the house completely away from their minds. Now, to them, the house had always been as good as new. They looked around for a moment, and then went on their way. Sparrow giggled, and then spotted Serena, running up the sidewalk toward her. She had borrowed one of Ami's spare school uniforms to wear to school that day. As she saw the repaired house, she too gasped and took a step back.

"Serena, what's wrong?" Sparrow asked, a wide grin on her face. "You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

  
"M-m-m-m-my house... it's.... it's as good as n-n-new...." Serena stammered, her hand to her lips. "Sparrow, what did you-"

"It's nothing, really..." Sparrow said, but Serena could tell that Sparrow was slightly winded from the large amount of energy she'd spent to regenerate the house. "Actually, it's about fifteen percent of my energy... but I'll eventually regain my strength."

"Sparrow, I.... I... I can't thank you enough!" Serena said. "After school, I'm gonna go tell Sammy and mom and dad, okay? We were staying at Ami's last night, and-"

  
"Serena, may I ask you something? I... I wish to go to your school," Sparrow said. "Just while I'm here... you know, to check it out. Make some new friends, that sort of thing!"

"Uh... okay," Serena said. "But you should probably-"

Sparrow closed her eyes again, and was again engulfed by light. When she re-opened her eyes a few seconds later, she was wearing the same red, white, and blue sailor fuku uniform that Serena was, the only exception being the tall, black leather boots on Sparrow's feet.

"Well, now that that's taken care of...." Serena said, smiling at Sparrow's transformation, "I guess we can go!"

* * *

  


Sammy could barely concentrate in class that day, his thoughts constantly returning to what had happened the night before. His house had been burnt to the ground, and if he hadn't gotten up to warn Serena and his parents, who knows what might have happened. It was also a lucky break that Serena managed to save all of her Sailor Moon items from the blaze, especially the Imperium Silver Crystal.

__

"The Silver Crystal might be our only hope to stop the Dark Crystal," Sammy thought. _"And those bad guys as well..."_

"Sammy, you need to pay attention!" Miss Haruna snapped from the front of the room. "Sammy, you've been dozing off and on for the past five minutes... what's wrong with you today?"

"My house burned down last night," Sammy said, as politely as he could.

  
"I'm sorry about that, Sammy... is your sister alright?"

"Yeah, we all got out...."

"I'm glad," Miss Haruna said. "But that's still no excuse for nodding off in class! Now are you going to pay attention, or-"

But just before Miss Haruna could finish her sentence, the class-ending bell rang, sending all of the students in the room to lunch.

"Sammy, could I please see you for a second?" Miss Haruna asked as Sammy ran toward the classroom door. Sammy sighed and walked back over to Miss Haruna's desk.

"Look, I'm sorry about not paying attention in class today," Sammy said. "I was just thinking about-"

  
"You're sad about your house, I know," Miss Haruna said.

__

"That's not what I'm really sad about..." Sammy thought.

"There's a really important geography test next week, Sammy," Miss Haruna said. "So you're going to have to get it together, okay? I know your house meant a lot to you, and you're pretty stressed out, but... you still have to pay attention. Okay, Sammy?"  


Sammy nodded obediently.

  
"Good," Miss Haruna said, a smile returning to her face. "Have a nice lunch!"

Sammy nodded again, and then ran off to have lunch with his friends.

* * *

  


Meanwhile, back at Serena's school, Sparrow had sat in on Serena's classes, making sure to slightly alter each of her teachers' memories so that they would believe Sparrow was supposed to be there. By lunchtime, Sparrow had already made several friends with her charming and upbeat personality, not to mention her beautiful looks. Serena was happy that Sparrow was making so many new friends, but as she sat at the lunch table with Lita, Mina, and Rei, exempting Ami, who had already gone to her gifted school earlier that day, she couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.

"Sparrow's doing pretty well here, wouldn't you say, Serena?" Mina asked.

"Yeah.... she's already made a couple of friends, and the boys are all over her!" Lita noted.

"I dunno, you guys," Serena said. "She's.... a little too popular. It's like she's one of those perfect characters in those dumb stories Rei puts up on the internet. Ya know, the girl that can do no wrong..."

"They're not dumb stories, they're legitimate _Kaishi No Gabuda _manga fanfiction!" Rei shouted. "And before you even imply that one of my characters is a Mary Sue..."

"Sparrow's not like that at all," Lita replied. "And she's not all _that _popular..."

Over in the corner of the room, Sparrow was engaged in conversation with two of her new friends, beautiful girls with light brown hair, evidently twin sisters. As they talked, a young man with short, light red hair strutted over to Sparrow, smoothed out his hair, and tapped her on the shoulder. Sparrow turned around and faced him, smiling sweetly.

"Yes?" Sparrow said, as cordially as she could. "May I help you?"

"Hey sweetcheeks, nice ass!" said the boy, causing the group of boys that he had come from to begin snorting and chuckling from a nearby table. Sparrow growled and slapped the boy across the face as hard as she could, leaving a large, red, stinging mark on his cheek in the shape of her hand. The other two girls gasped.

"Don't EVER say that to me again, do you understand?" Sparrow said sternly. The boy trudged over to the table where his friends were seated and sat down, while his friends looked at Sparrow fearfully.

"Geez, Sparrow," Serena said, walking over and blushing, "you were pretty rough to that guy..."

"Didn't you hear him?" Sparrow asked. "He said-"

"I know what he said, and it was rude, but... you can't go around slapping people," Serena said softly. "You could've really gotten into trouble..."

  
Serena and Sparrow talked for a few more seconds, before Serena went back to her table and took a seat.

"Frankly, I thought Sparrow had every right to slap that guy!" Rei shouted. "If it was me, I probably would've killed him..."

* * *

  


"It really sucks that your house got burned down," Mikhail said, sitting down at the table next to Sammy. Mei-Lin, the girl who sat behind Sammy in class, now sat across from him at the table.

__

"Am I trying to replace Rick and Mika with Mikhail and Mei-Lin?" Sammy thought, looking over at his two estranged friends as they ate together at a table of their own. _"Maybe I am... but I have to be careful... I can't let any one of my friends get hurt again!"_

"Yeah, I guess it does," Sammy said. "But at least nobody was hurt..."

  
"That's the important thing, Sammy," Mei-Lin said. Suddenly, the bell rang, ending lunch and notifying Sammy and the other students on the roof that it was time to head back to class. Everyone briskly walked over to the stairs and headed down into the school, with Sammy and Mikhail being the last two on the roof. As Mikhail began to walk down the stairs, a large flash appeared in front of him, blasting him back into the fence of the roof, which would have been fatal had the fence not been there to keep him from going over. Sammy turned around and gasped as he saw Mikhail, slumped against the fence and groaning painfully.

"Mikhail, no!" Sammy shouted.

"Guess what, Sammy?" shouted a loud, screeching female voice. Sammy turned around to see a tiny green speck of light, bobbing up and down in front of him. Sammy gasped and stepped back slowly as the speck of light materialized into a woman with light green skin, long yellow hair, and long, skinny arms and legs. She wore nothing but a bright pink two-piece, which looked extremely revealing.

"What are you?" Sammy shouted.

  
"I'm Neihiliam, demon witch of destruction! It was me that burned down your house, Sammy... and now my demon hordes and I are going to destroy your pathetic school, as well as your sister's! Hmmm... Ami goes to your sister's school as well, doesn't she? Guess she'll die too, then! Mwahahaha!"

"You... you vicious monster!" Sammy shouted. _"Good thing I brought this with me to school today..."_

Sammy tore off the extra pair of jeans that he had been wearing, revealing a long katana sheathe that was clipped to the waist of his other jeans. He removed the katana from the sheathe and pointed it at Neihiliam, who began to laugh.

"Oh, I'm not going to fight you just yet," Neihiliam said. "Instead, I'm going to start my reign of terror with the wholesale slaughter of your pathetic schoolmates!"

  
Neihiliam reverted back to a tiny green speck of light and floated down into Sammy's school. Sammy turned back to check on Mikhail, who had gotten up after being knocked into the fence.

"Sammy, go!" Mikhail shouted. "Help your friends!"

  
"But-"

"Go, Sammy!"

Sammy nodded, and then ran down the stairs in pursuit of Neihiliam. But instead of finding her at the bottom of the stairs, he found a large horde of crystalline creatures like the ones that had been at his house the previous night. There were at least a dozen of them, and they were already wreaking havoc, attacking the students as they returned from their lunch. When Sammy saw the creatures, he didn't hesitate for even a second. Instead, he held his sword out in front of his body and charged into the crowd, ready to fight to save the lives of his classmates.

* * *

  


Back at Serena's school, lunch was just ending, and Serena, Rei, Mina, Lita, and Sparrow were eager to return to class.

"So, like I said, you can't just go around slapping people, okay?" Serena said. Sparrow nodded. As soon as she did, a large explosion shook the halls of the school, causing all of the students to duck for cover. Then, a huge, red monster, its body a spherical ball of fire with dark red arms and legs, began charging through the halls, mowing down students as it ran, its body pulsating with flames. The five girls dashed into one of the women's restrooms and quickly made sure it was empty. It was. Then, the Senshi began to transform.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

  
"Mars Crystal Power!"

  
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"

  
"Venus Crystal Power!"

  
"Sparrow Crystal Power!"

The four Senshi turned toward Sparrow, who began to giggle.

"I couldn't resist," Sparrow said. "Now let's go kick some ass!"

  
The four Senshi nodded, and then, with Sparrow right behind them, dashed out of the restroom and confronted the gigantic monster of flame.

* * *

  


Whew, what a chapter.... *shakes out hands* And I _really _hope Sparrow's not starting to look like a Mary Sue. But that rule only applies for main female characters, right? And the main female character is Ami! ^_^ Looks like the monsters don't know where she is... yet, anyway. Can the Senshi take care of business at their school? Can Sammy, with absolutely no superpowers, possibly hope to save his own school? Find out next time!


	13. Schools Under Siege

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

The four Senshi and Sparrow courageously faced down the huge flame monster, diverting its attention from the students in the hall, who were now fleeing in terror.

"We'd better beat this thing quick, before someone gets hurt!" Sailor Moon said, and the other Senshi nodded. Just then, the monster opened up its gigantic mouth and spat a giant fireball, which headed forward, straight for the Senshi.

  
"I'll handle this!" Sailor Mars shouted, leaping in front of the fireball. "Mars Flaming Cannon!"

  
Several fireballs shot out of the cannon and met the monster's fireball, nullifying it and creating a large explosion that knocked Sailor Mars to her knees. Sailor Moon, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and Sparrow quickly rushed to her side.

"Sailor Mars, are you-" Sailor Jupiter began before Sailor Mars quickly stood up.

"Guys, I'm fine..." Sailor Mars groaned, smiling at the others. "We need to take this thing out..."

The monster roared, and then spat another fireball at the Senshi. This time, it was Sparrow who dealt with the monster's attack, leaping in front of the fireball and smashing it away with one mighty swing of her sword. The fireball rebounded back toward the monster, hitting it right between the eyes and stunning it long enough for Sailor Moon to prepare a final strike.

"Moon... Blessed... Salvation!"  


The powerful waves of magic energy quickly obliterated the flame monster, and the Senshi breathed a sigh of relief. Sparrow smirked and re-sheathed her sword.

"It was no sweat, really," Sparrow said.

"That monster could've hurt someone," Sailor Venus replied, groaning at Sparrow. "We got it pretty quick this time, but next time we should probably destroy it faster..."  


"True," Sparrow said. "And I can sense other monsters in the building..."

  
"Let's hurry!" Sailor Moon shouted.

---

Meanwhile, inside the school's cafeteria, Neihiliam was causing chaos and terror in her tireless search for Ami. After taunting Sammy, she'd quickly teleported to Serena's school, not knowing that Ami had left just a short while earlier.

"Where is the girl, Ami Mizuno?" Neihiliam shouted to a group of students she'd cornered inside the now-wrecked cafeteria.

"We don't know!" replied one of the girls in the group, trembling in fear.

"That's not a good enough answer!" Neihiliam shouted back, pointing her arm at the group of trembling students. "Looks like I'll just have to..."

Suddenly, a long, golden chain looped around Neihiliam's arm, quickly spinning her around. Holding the chain was Sailor Venus, standing with Sparrow and the Senshi. As Neihiliam was distracted, the group of students quickly fled from the cafeteria, and Neihiliam growled in rage.

"How dare you interfere!" Neihiliam shouted.

"How dare _you _attack innocent people!" Sailor Venus replied. "Venus Love Chain Encircle!"

The chain grew longer, and looped around Neihiliam entirely, pinning her arms to her chest. With a loud shriek, Neihiliam's power aura expanded, shattering the chains that were binding her body. 

  
"You think you can beat me that easily?" Neihiliam shouted. "Where's Ami Mizuno? Tell me right now!"

  
"Ami's not here, so your search is fruitless!" Sailor Moon shouted. "And in the name of the Moon, we'll punish you!"

"That's right!" Sparrow shouted. "And you're not going to like the way I punish..."

"I don't have time to deal with you fools!" Neihiliam shouted. "I came here to find Ami, so if she's not here, I'll just go back to Sammy's school and kill his pathetic friends! You Sailor Fools can deal with all the rest of the monsters I've planted here. Goodbye, Sailor Senshi!"

  
Neihiliam disappeared in a bright green flash of light, leaving the Senshi and Sparrow alone in the cafeteria. 

"Did you hear that?" Sailor Moon asked, her face flush with worry. "She's going after Sammy.... he's in really big trouble!'

"What do we do?" Sailor Mars asked.

  
"We've gotta destroy all the monsters here, and then get to Sammy's school, quick!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Sammy's life depends on it..."

"Should I teleport to Sammy's school and try to find him?" Sparrow asked. "It'll take a lot of energy since it's such a specific place, but..."

"Please, find Sammy and protect him..." Sailor Moon said, clutching Sparrow's hand. "Don't let my brother get hurt...."

  
Sparrow nodded, and then teleported away, just like Neihiliam had done. 

"I hope she gets to Sammy soon," Sailor Jupiter said. Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream from just outside the room immediately caught the Senshi's attention. Without hesitating for a second, they rushed outside to find the source of the scream.

---

Meanwhile, back at Sammy's school, Sammy was having troubles of his own. He charged at one of the creatures, but as he brought his sword down on its crystalline skin, he found that his powerful slash had only made a tiny crack in its surface. That was enough, however, to make the creature extremely angry at Sammy. It turned around and smacked Sammy hard across the chest, sending him flying across the hallway and into the wall. He hit the wall hard, its impact sending a stabbing pain shooting through Sammy's back.

"Hurts...." was all Sammy could say as he slid against the wall, and the creature turned its attention on another student, a female about Sammy's age. It smacked her across the chest in the same way it had done to Sammy, knocking her to the ground with a loud cry of anguish. 

"Please... please don't hurt me!" shouted the girl, tears starting to come to her eyes. Sammy saw the tears, and began to stand up, his hand intensely gripping the hilt of his katana.

"Don't.... hurt her..." Sammy said quietly, his teeth clenched. The creature hovered over the girl, its powerful arm poised above her head and ready to strike the killing blow. The girl cried even harder, and that's when Sammy felt another pain, shooting through his body. It was the familiar pain of the Dark Crystal, and his hand took on an eerie, black glow. With a loud war cry, he rushed the creature and brought his blade down across the creature's back. This time, the blow was incredibly effective, shattering the creature like glass, its fractured shards disappearing as they flew out from where the creature had once stood. Sammy gently picked the trembling girl up from the ground, and as he did, she embraced him tightly, her arms firmly around his chest.

  
"Thank you.... whoever you are.... you saved my life!" the girl cried. But as Sammy hugged the girl, he noticed that the other creatures had stopped what they were doing upon seeing Sammy destroy one of their kind. They rushed Sammy from all directions, and Sammy stopped hugging the girl and rushed into the crowd of creatures, sweeping his katana out in a half-circle. The slash struck the first wave of monsters, but its effects spread to all of them, and with one slash, the hordes were decimated, their crystalline remains disintegrating in seconds. Sammy gasped, amazed with what he'd done. The girl gasped as well, slowly backed away from Sammy, and then ran down the hall. Some of the other students who had been attacked by the monsters began cheering Sammy as he sheathed his sword, and Sammy simply blushed and let the cheers wash over him.

__

"I'm just glad everyone's alright... for now, anyway... I wonder where that weird lady ran off to..."

Just then, a loud roar from down the hall sounded, causing everyone who had been standing around cheering to flee in the other direction, turning the corner toward one of the school's emergency exits. Loud alarms began blaring, and Sammy gasped, running toward the direction of the roar.

__

"That's coming from Miss Haruna's room!" Sammy shouted. _"I've gotta get there in time!"_

But as Sammy ran down the hall, a hand reached out from one of the bathrooms. The hand went over Sammy's mouth, and he was quickly pulled into the bathroom. Then, the bathroom door was shut behind him.

---

The scream that the Senshi were pursuing came from the mouth of one of Serena's friends, currently in the clutches of a large, purple, octopus-like monster. Its tentacles had just ensnared two students, one of them male, and one of them female. The Senshi immediately recognized who they were.

"It's Molly and Melvin!" Sailor Moon shouted, watching her two friends furiously struggle to escape the constricting tentacles. "You let them go right now!"

  
"Sailor Moon, hurry!" Molly shouted. "I.... I can't breathe!"

"It's.... it's too tight!" Melvin yelled, his arms and chest being tightly squeezed by the monster's tentacles. Sailor Jupiter ran at the monster, ready to strike.

"Sailor Moon said... let them go!" Sailor Jupiter yelled. "Jupiter Axe of Lightning!"

Sailor Jupiter swung her axe at the monster's eight tentacles, slicing off four. One of them contained Melvin, and as it fell to the ground, it released its grip on the bespectacled boy. The monster was then zapped by a powerful blast of lightning. It was knocked back, but it still had Molly tightly in its clutches. Melvin gasped in horror.

  
"You've gotta save Molly!" Melvin shouted in his shrill, high-pitched, geeky voice. "Hurry!"

"Keep your pants on, kid," Sailor Venus said, pointing the shaft of a large, golden arrow right between the monster's eyes. "Venus Arrow of Beauty!"

The arrow rushed at the monster and slammed into its forehead, piercing it and creating a large wound. The arrow's aim was perfect, and the monster quickly disintegrating, dropping Molly right into Melvin's arms. The girl's eyes were closed, and her breathing was slow and shallow. Melvin immediately set Molly down onto the ground and began gently brushing his hand through her hair.

  
"Molly..." he said softly, "are you okay? Please, please be alright..."

The Senshi watched in worry, and for a few agonizingly long seconds, Molly's eyes remained closed. But then, they slowly fluttered open, and the Senshi breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Thank goodness," Melvin said, intensely relieved. "Molly, are you alright?"  


"I... I think so," Molly replied sweetly. "Melvin, did you..."

"Melvin caught you when you fell from the monster's grip," Sailor Venus said. "If he hadn't caught you, you might've been really hurt!"

"It was you guys who saved her," Melvin said. "I just-"

  
"Oh, don't be so modest!" Sailor Mars replied, smiling. 

"You were really heroic, Melvin," Molly said. "Thank you..."

__

"I'm glad we saved them, but if we don't take care of the rest of the monsters, someone else might get hurt!" Sailor Moon thought. _"I just hope Sammy's okay..."_

---

Slowly, the hand slid away from Sammy's mouth, and he turned around to see who had grabbed him. Sitting beside him were Rick and Mika, both of whom looked extremely worried.

"Sammy, this is all your fault!" Rick said. "These monsters are here because of you, aren't they?"

  
"Rick, please..." Mika said, gently gripping Rick's hand. 

"Look, I'm really sorry..... I put everyone in this school in danger," Sammy said sadly. 

"No, you didn't... those vicious monsters did," Mika said. "None of this is your fault... right, Rick?"  


Rick sighed.

"Sammy, a big, huge monster came into our classroom and completely trashed the place!" Rick shouted. "It was a giant turtle, and it shot lightning out of its mouth. We almost got hit!"

  
"Is everyone in your class okay?" Sammy asked. Mika nodded.

"They all escaped out the windows, but before we could follow them, the monster got in front of us and almost zapped us," Mika said. "So we ran in here..."

  
Another loud roar sounded from outside, even closer to the bathroom. Sammy, Rick, and Mika began trembling.

  
"Guys, I think that thing was in Miss Haruna's room too," Sammy whispered. "I hope it didn't hurt any of my friends... and I'm glad you guys are okay."

"What are we gonna do?" Rick asked. "Are the Sailor Senshi here?"  


"I think my sis is still at school," Sammy replied. "I'm just glad they're not in any danger..."

---

But the Senshi were in danger, still busily fighting to purge all of the deadly attackers from their school. Finally, after several tough battles, they'd destroyed all of the creatures but one, a human-like man with short, black hair and a red cape.

"He sort of looks like Darien," Sailor Moon commented. "Except for the fact that he's pure evil..."

  
"My name is Sekuta, not Darien.... now die, Sailor Senshi!" the man shouted, throwing several small spherical objects at the four Senshi. As they neared the Senshi, they exploded, creating small fireballs and shockwaves that knocked all of the Senshi to their knees except for Sailor Moon, who stood against the blasts and shielded her face with her arms.

  
"What a powerful attack..." Sailor Moon groaned. "This guy is the toughest yet..."

Sekuta rushed at Sailor Moon and kicked her across the face, sending her flying back to join the other Senshi on the ground.

  
"Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Moon tumbled on the hard linoleum of the hall's floors and came to a rest behind Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, who were just beginning to stand up.

"I've had just about enough of you!" Sailor Mars shouted, tossing one of her new and improved Ofuda Scrolls at Sekuta, who responded by tossing another round of explosive spheres. One of the spheres hit and blew up the scroll, while the rest of them slammed into the Senshi, knocking them down again.

  
"Bastard!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, rising to her feet. "You'll pay for that..."

Sailor Jupiter lunged at Sekuta, lightning axe in hand. She took several swings at him, but he dodged every one of them, ducking, leaping, and flashing out of the way with his incredible speed. Then, he pointed his arm at Sailor Jupiter and fired a large, flashing red net that washed over Sailor Jupiter's body and slammed into the wall, pinning her against it.

"Dammit!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, struggling to break free of the net. "That's not fair!"

Sailor Venus pointed her golden bow at Sekuta and fired a hail of arrows at him. Suddenly, the arrows stopped in place, just a few feet away from Sekuta's body. Sailor Venus gasped as Sekuta reached out and grabbed one of the arrows, holding it in his hand and looking down at it, inspecting it for a few seconds, and then dropped it to the ground. Then, he looked up at the other arrows, and they fell to the ground as well, disintegrating as they did. Sailor Venus gasped and stepped back, a look of fear and shock on her face. Sekuta pointed his arm at Sailor Venus' chest and fired a laserlike beam from his finger, hitting her and dropping her to the ground in an instant. Sailor Moon gasped in horror, while Sekuta smirked and chuckled.

"Neihiliam said you guys would be tough... what happened?" Sekuta asked. "Did all the other fights wear you out?"

Sailor Moon kneeled down over Sailor Venus' unconscious form, looking at the smoldering wound left on her chest by Sekuta's blast. A tear streaked down her face.

"Sailor Venus... no..." Sailor Moon sobbed. "You... you killed her!"

"Bitch had it coming," Sekuta said casually. "I mean, did you see all those arrows she fired at me? I could've been killed!"

Sailor Moon looked up at Sekuta, an expression of rage on her face. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowly brought her henshin stick up to her chest. It began to glow. Sailor Mars, who was just starting to get up from Sekuta's last attack, gasped as she realized what was about to happen.

"The Sword of the Moon..."

Sure enough, Sailor Moon's henshin stick began to transform, into the glistening, jeweled blade that had destroyed Ceyra and Yeika. Sekuta's eyebrows raised, and his arrogant smirk turned into a worried frown.

__

"This can't be good," Sekuta thought.

---

Meanwhile, Sammy, Rick, and Mika had decided to leave the safety of the bathroom and make a run for Miss Haruna's classroom. As they reached it, the large, turtle-like beast that Rick and Mika had spoken of lumbered out of the room through a large, wide hole it had created. It stood almost six feet tall, and was about the same distance wide, with four large legs that were as wide around as large tree-trunks. Sammy, Rick, and Mika stepped back from the large monster as it slowly walked toward them, its large neck craned down and its piercing gaze meeting their own.

"Oh my God, Sammy, Rick.... we have to run," Mika said, her voice trembling.

"No, I've got to beat this thing and see if Miss Haruna is okay!" Sammy shouted, unsheathing his katana. "You two should probably run...."

  
"We're not leaving without you!" Mika shouted. Rick turned toward her, even more scared than she was.

  
"We're... not?" Rick asked.

"Sammy's our best friend, Rick!" Mika said angrily. "No matter what, we have to stick by his side... and we have to help him beat this thing!"

"Please... you guys would only be a burden," Sammy said, as kindly as he could. "I... I don't want to see you hurt again...."

"No.... no, Sammy, we're not leaving!" Rick shouted with renewed determination. "I'd rather be a dead duck than a live chicken anyway... and you are my best friend, so..."

"We're staying with you until the end, Sammy!" Mika said. 

"Thanks, guys..." Sammy said softly, beginning to get choked up. Suddenly, the turtle opened its large mouth and fired a stream of lightning at the three teenagers. Instinctively, Sammy held up his sword. _"Crap, this is the end..."_

But incredibly, the lightning didn't hit Sammy, Rick, or Mika at all. Instead, all of the lightning hit Sammy's sword, which was now glowing with an intense, black glow. The lightning was absorbed into the sword, until the turtle's attack stopped, and the sword now pulsated blue, the same color as the stream of lightning.

"Sammy... your sword... it absorbed the lightning!" Mika shouted in amazement.

"That was cool!" Rick cheered. "Now go kick his ass!"  


Sammy nodded and rushed at the turtle, ready to cut it down with his sword like he'd done earlier to the crystalline creatures. But before he could, the turtle lifted up and stomped its powerful foot, sending out a wave of seismic energy that blasted Sammy right off his feet, knocking him to the ground. The katana flew out of his hands, and the gathered energy flew out of the blade and back into the turtle's mouth. Sammy scrambled to grab his katana, but was stopped when the turtle stomped its foot on Sammy's back. The boy let out a loud scream, and then fell limp, seemingly passed out. Rick and Mika gasped.

"No, Sammy!" Mika shouted. 

  
Rick's eyes quickly fixated on Sammy's katana, a few short feet away from the turtle.

"Mika, I'm going to save Sammy like he saved us," Rick said, pointing at the sword.

"Be careful!" Mika shouted fearfully. Rick nodded at her, and then ran for the sword. But as the turtle lifted up its foot and stomped down again, another wave of seismic energy swept under Rick's feet, knocking him to the ground. He slammed into the ground next to the katana and cried out painfully as his foot landed at an awkward angle.

"Argh!" Rick shouted, clutching his ankle in agony. "My ankle... I think it's sprained!"

The turtle stepped over Sammy and began plodding toward Rick, who had seemingly forgotten about Sammy's katana. With a rush of adrenaline, Mika climbed up the turtle's leg and onto his back, reaching out and covering the turtle's eyes with her hands just before it would have stopped on Rick, who was still writhing in agony on the ground. That gave Rick enough time to grab Sammy's katana, rush forward, and slash across the turtle's leg, causing it to roar out in pain. Then, Rick ran over and grabbed Sammy, gently shaking him awake.

"Sammy, Sammy, are you okay?" Rick asked as his friend slowly began to wake up. "Sammy..."

Sammy sat up and looked around, his friend's face being the first thing he saw. Sammy smiled, and Rick smiled back, wrapping his arms around his friend's chest. 

"Sammy, I thought you got killed or something!" Rick said, dropping Sammy's katana and hugging him tightly. "Oh geez, I'm really sorry about everything I said, I-"

  
Mika's scream quickly alerted the boys to their friend being flung into the wall as the turtle thrashed, tossing Mika off of its back. Mika hit the wall with a painful-sounding thud and slowly slid downward, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she fainted. 

"MIKA!" Rick shouted, ignoring the pain in his ankle rushing to his fallen girlfriend's side and cradling her in his arms. "Mika...."

"That.... that does it!" Sammy shouted, picking up his katana and running out in front of the turtle monster as it turned toward Rick and Mika. "I'm not letting any of you sick freaks hurt my friends anymore! Prepare to die!"

---

"I'm not scared of your pathetic sword, Sailor Moon...." Sekuta said, menacingly walking toward the angry Moon Senshi. "You'll still die just the same as all of your pathetic friends!"

"This will be over quickly," Sailor Moon said coldly, walking toward Sekuta. She quickly swung her blade, but Sekuta easily blocked the slash with his finger, chuckling as Sailor Moon gasped in shock.

"Is that all?" Sekuta asked. "Really now, you'll have to do better than that!"

  
Sekuta pointed his arm at Sailor Moon and blasted her backwards with a huge wave of energy. Sailor Moon began to use her balance, but quickly skidded to a stop just a few feet back from where she had stood.

"This isn't over," Sailor Moon said. "I haven't even started!"

Sailor Moon rushed at Sekuta and slashed at him again, but instead of blocking the attack, Sekuta ducked under the slash and headbutted into Sailor Moon's chest, knocking her back again.

"Really now, what does it take to kill you?" Sekuta shouted in frustration. "Looks like I'll have to get rid of that sword...."

"Get rid... of this..." came a weak voice from behind Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon turned around and saw Sailor Venus, who looked barely able to stand. She had her bow pointed right at Sekuta's chest. 

"Sailor Venus, you're alive?" Sailor Moon gasped. Sailor Venus fired off the arrow, but Sekuta easily caught it, stopping the attack in its tracks. He smiled at Sailor Venus, and then pointed his finger at her head.

"Looks like you had one attack left," Sekuta taunted. "But I've got plenty more where this one came from... and now you're going to die for good this time!"

Suddenly, a large, sharp object protruded from Sekuta's chest from behind. He gasped, and looked down at the blade of the Sword of the Moon, sticking out from his chest. That was the last thing he saw before his world permanently went black. 

"Thanks, Sailor Venus," Sailor Moon said, giving Sailor Venus a thumbs-up as her sword turned back into its normal, henshin-stick form. "I'm... I'm so glad you're alive!"

"It's a miracle!" Sailor Jupiter said as the netting which had held her to the wall disappeared. "I'm glad you're alive too..."

"Yeah, I'm hanging in there," Sailor Venus said, her hand over the wound on her chest. "Gonna need some healing though... at least a bit anyway..."

  
"Well, at least that guy is dead for good," Sailor Mars said. "And I can't feel any evil forces anymore... we've liberated the school!"  
  
"Now let's go find Sammy!" Sailor Moon said.

---

Sammy swung his katana at the turtle's neck, barely missing as the turtle quickly swung its head away and fired another blast of lightning at Sammy, Rick, and Mika. Again, Sammy held out his sword to block the attack... but this time, nothing happened. The black glow that had surrounded Sammy's sword before was nowhere to be found, and Sammy, Rick, and Mika were blasted with the powerful lightning attack, knocking both Sammy and Rick to the ground next to their already unconscious friend Mika.

"Mika!" Rick shouted, crawling back over to his friend and protectively cradling her in his arms, ignoring his own pain. "Sammy, we've gotta do something!"

  
Sammy weakly crawled to his feet and stabbed at the monster's neck. This time, he made contact, but his sword failed to pierce the creature's hard skin, making only a tiny nick that drew a small amount of crimson blood from the deadly creature. This tiny cut infuriated the monster, and it reared up on its hind legs, then stomped both of his feet onto the ground at once, creating a huge seismic wave that blasted all three friends back into the wall. Now, both Rick and Mika were knocked out, and only Sammy remained conscious, struggling to stand up once more as his pained body became covered with bruises.

"Got to... protect... my friends..." Sammy groaned, pointing his katana at the powerful creature. "Got to.... got to.... argh..."

  
Sammy fell to the ground. It was extremely painful for Sammy to stand, and he lowered his sword, tears coming to his eyes as he slowly became resigned to his fate.

__

"I.... I failed... I couldn't protect my friends... I couldn't even protect myself," Sammy thought sadly. _"Rick... Mika... forgive me..."_

"Yaaaaaaaaaaah!" 

Out of nowhere, Sparrow appeared and leapt up and onto the creature's back in an incredible display of agility. Sammy's eyes lit up with hope.

"Sparrow...." Sammy groaned as Sparrow turned toward him and his friends.

"You guys are banged up pretty bad," Sparrow said. "And I promised your sister I wouldn't let you get hurt... well, at least you won't get killed! Not while I'm around! Take THIS!"

  
With a powerful stab, Sparrow thrust the sword deep through the creature's shell and into its back. Then, the creature disappeared in a bright flash of light, killed in one hit by Sparrow's lethal attack. She landed on the ground, sheathed her sword, and quickly ran up to Sammy and his friends.

"Don't worry," Sparrow said, pointing her arm at Sammy, Rick, and Mika. "I'll have you healed in a jiffy..."

A warm, pink pulse of energy emanated from Sparrow's hand, healing all the bruises and wounds from the bodies of the three battered friends. Slowly, Rick and Mika began to wake up.

"Where... are we?" Rick asked, looking around. "Are we dead?"  


"I don't think so," Mika said softly. "We're still in the school!"

  
"Sparrow came and rescued us!" Sammy said, standing up and smiling at Sparrow. Rick and Mika stood up as well, and embraced for several seconds, extremely happy to be alive, and happy that their friends were alive as well.

  
"Thank you, Sparrow...." Rick said as he slowly pulled away from Mika's hug. "You... you saved us again..."

  
"You're really incredible!" Mika said, and Sparrow simply giggled.

"I'm just glad I found you before it was too late," Sparrow said. "Now we should probably get out of here..."

Suddenly, Sparrow groaned, and she put her hand to her forehead.

"Sparrow, what's wrong?" Sammy asked.

"Guess I'm still a little weak after battling Jekelai... and healing you guys... and fixing your burned house."

"You WHAT?" Sammy asked, his eyes widening. "You... you..."  
  
Sparrow looked up at Sammy and nodded.

"I restored your house and everything in it to its normal condition," Sparrow said. 

"Oh my gosh, Sparrow, I.... I don't know what to say!" Sammy said, his voice beaming with happiness. "Oh... oh.... thank you so much!"

Sammy ran toward Sparrow and began to hug her, but she gently nudged him away.

"That's... quite alright, Sammy, I know you're really happy," Sparrow said, smiling. "Like I said, I'm just happy you and your friends are alright... and it's a good thing these creeps didn't go after Ami's school."

"True, true," Sammy said. "But they went after my sister's.... is she okay? And wait, Ami wasn't at Serena's school?"

"Your sister's fine, and yeah, Ami went to her gifted school before the monsters came," Sparrow said. 

"So... I guess everything's turned out alright then!" Rick said, smiling. Mika nodded.

  
"We should probably leave and see if everyone else got out safely," Mika said. "They've probably all gone home by now."

"Sparrow... you take Rick and Mika back home, okay?" Sammy asked. "I'm gonna go check on Miss Haruna... that turtle thing was in her classroom!"

"Okay, Sammy," Sparrow said. Then, she turned to Rick and Mika. "I'm not sure if I have enough strength to teleport, so I'll just walk home with you guys, okay?"  


Rick and Mika nodded.

"Bye, Sammy!" Rick said. "See you in school tomorrow, okay?"

Mika giggled.

"Um... I don't think they're gonna have school tomorrow," Mika said. "Bye, Sammy!"

Sammy ran into Miss Haruna's classroom, but breathed a loud sigh of relief when he saw his teacher crouching under her desk with Mei-Lin, unharmed.

"Sammy, is that you?" Miss Haruna asked, climbing out from under her desk with Mei-Lin. "I'm glad you're alright... I thought that monster might've-"

"It's been taken care of!" Sammy said, smiling. "You see, Sparrow showed up, and-"

  
"Sparrow... is she... one of the Sailor Senshi?" Mei-Lin asked.

"Uh... yeah!" Sammy said, nodding. _"That's probably all they need to know..."_

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, Sammy..." Miss Haruna said, walking over toward the large hole that was now the entrance of the classroom. 

"I'm glad you're okay too, Miss Haruna," Sammy said. "I'll see you, um... the next time we have school!"  


Miss Haruna nodded.

"I wonder why all those monsters attacked us, though..." Miss Haruna said softly. Sammy gulped, and began to wonder if he should tell the truth.

__

"If I tell her the monsters attacked because of me, I could get kicked out of school!" Sammy thought. _"But maybe I deserve to be kicked out of school... it IS my fault that all these monsters attacked, after all... oh, I don't know what to do!"_

"Probably because weird monsters like that are attracted to kids," Mei-Lin said. "Those creepy monsters always want to put poor innocent children in danger! It's a good thing that Sailor, um.... Sparrow, wasn't it, Sammy?"  


Sammy nodded.

  
"Sailor Sparrow was here to save the day!" Mei-Lin said, finishing her sentence. "I just hope nobody was hurt..."

  
Miss Haruna nodded.

  
"Well, you two should probably be headed home... we've all had a rough day," Miss Haruna said tiredly. "Goodbye, and I'm glad both of you are safe!"

  
Sammy and Mei-Lin waved as Miss Haruna walked down the hall and turned a corner, out of their sight. 

"I guess we should probably go home," Mei-Lin said. Sammy nodded. "But, um... Sammy?"

"Yes, Mei-Lin?" Sammy asked, turning toward his classmate. "Is there something you want to ask me?"

  
"Well...." Mei-Lin said, a red blush beginning to come to her cheeks. "You see, I... I know you like Ami and all, but... um... you see... I have a crush on you, Sammy!"

"Wha?" Sammy said, slightly taken aback. "Um, Mei-Lin... Ami and I are really in love, and-"

  
"I know, I know," Mei-Lin said, turning away from Sammy in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have told you... I just... I just wanted to get it out into the open, Sammy..."

"That's okay, Mei-Lin..." Sammy said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it... I'm sure you can find someone else that will like you, though... you're a nice girl, Mei-Lin."

"Thank you, Sammy," Mei-Lin said. "I... I think I will try to find someone else... thanks for not getting mad or anything..."

  
But before Sammy could reply, a tiny, green speck of light appeared between Sammy and Mei-Lin. Sammy gasped.

  
"Mei-Lin, look out!" Sammy shouted as the speck materialized into Neihiliam, who looked very angry.

"You... you and those Sailor witches killed all of my monsters! My BABIES!" Neihiliam shouted, pointing her arm at Sammy and blasting him into the wall with a powerful blast of magical energy.

"Argh!" Sammy shouted as his back hit the wall with incredible force. Mei-Lin turned and gasped.

"Sammy, no!" Mei-Lin shouted.

"And who's this?" Neihiliam asked upon seeing Mei-Lin, who began to tremble in fright. "Well, if you insist upon killing my creations, then I'll kill one of your friends!"

Neihiliam shot a glowing green ring from her hand, which wrapped around Mei-Lin, pinning her arms to her sides. Then, Neihiliam clamped her hand over Mei-Lin's mouth and slammed the girl back into the wall, holding her in the air and pinning her against the chalkboard at the same time.

"MEI-LIN!!!" Sammy shouted, standing up and holding his katana out in front of him. "Put her down right now, or-"

"Or what?" Neihiliam asked, swinging around and holding Mei-Lin out toward Sammy so that her back was facing him, still clamping her hand over the trembling girl's mouth. "No, Sammy, I think I'll kill her right now."

  
Neihiliam's other arm turned into a long, pointed blade, which she held up against Mei-Lin's chest. The girl thrashed about in the monster's grip, unable to do anything with the energy clamp around her arms, and all of her screams being muffled by Neihiliam's hand. 

"I'LL RUN HER THROUGH, SAMMY!" Neihiliam shrieked.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sammy shouted in agony as he realized he was helpless to stop Neihiliam. But a split-second before Neihiliam would have skewered the helpless girl to death, the evil youma was skewered herself, on the tip of a glowing, golden energy blade. Neihiliam fell dead off of the tip of the blade and onto the ground in a pool of blood, her grip releasing from Mei-Lin's face and her clamp disappearing, freeing the girl's arms. As Neihiliam lay dead on the ground, and the sobbing and trembling Mei-Lin rushed into Sammy's arms, Sammy's eyes could only focus on the cold gaze of the person who'd done Neihiliam in and had inadvertently saved Mei-Lin's life. That person... was Jekelai.

"While it would have been fun to let your trembling friend die," Jekelai said, a smile on his face, "I cannot let any of Cestari's pathetic flunkies do the job that was originally assigned to me. Besides, you care little about the girl's life... the Dark Crystal would not have been extracted by killing her. Never send a youma to do a man's job."

"Mei-Lin... get out of here..." Sammy whispered to his still-sobbing friend.

"B-b-b-but... but the monsters will hurt me, and-"

  
"GO!" Sammy shouted, half-pushing Mei-Lin out of his arms. Mei-Lin stared at Sammy for a few seconds, and then ran out of the room in fright. Jekelai looked in the girl's direction, but then turned back to Sammy.

"I'd kill her, but it's not worth the energy," Jekelai said. "I've got another target in mind..."

"You won't hurt anyone, Jekelai," Sammy said, extending his katana. "I'll see to that."

---

I've been quite liberal with my use of the cliffies, haven't I? Welp, it looks like Sammy vs. Jekelai II is about to begin... or is it? What DOES Jekelai have in mind? Better read next chapter to find out!


	14. He Always Hurts The Ones You Love

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: Coming next chapter!

---

Sammy held out his katana, poised to strike down Jekelai at any moment. The faceoff was tense, and Sammy was very afraid... but he wasn't going to let Jekelai leave the room without a fight. A smile appeared on Jekelai's lips, and he let out a light chuckle before beginning to speak again.

"Sammy, I didn't come here for a fight," said Jekelai, striding toward Sammy, turning to the right at the last moment to begin walking around the boy, toward the door. 

"No," Sammy said, extending his sword out in front of Jekelai to block his path. "You're not leaving."

"Incompetent fools, all of them," Jekelai said, stopping and turning toward Sammy. "They _were _coming after your friends, and your pathetic sister, but... they were obviously seeking someone else. I believe you already know-"

"Ami," Sammy said, coldly staring straight into Jekelai's eyes. "They were looking for her, but-"

  
"They didn't find her," Jekelai said, finishing Sammy's sentence. "And do you know why, Sammy Tsukino? Of course you do. They weren't looking in the _right place_!"

With a swift leap, Jekelai swooped into the air, several feet above Sammy and the classroom desks. As Sammy ran toward him, Jekelai extended his palm to his left, and a large, black gate appeared just behind Jekelai's outstretched arm. Sammy gasped.

"This gate leads right to the Juuban Gifted School, Sammy!" Jekelai said tauntingly. "Once I step in, I'll be closer to Ami than you could be in ten minutes, even if you were running at full speed. You couldn't possibly reach her in time..."

"NO!" Sammy shouted, dashing forward and leaping toward the gate. But by the time he was in the gate's proximity, both it and Jekelai had already disappeared, and Sammy landed hard on one of the desks, his face smacking against it, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground. As Sammy stood up, holding his hand to his bruised cheek, a wave of despair swept over him. "Ami.... I'm coming, Ami!"

Sammy dashed out of the classroom at full speed, running down the halls and quickly exiting the school building, then sprinted down the sidewalk toward Ami's school, desperate to reach her in time.

---

On the other side of the school, oblivious to Sammy's encounter with Jekelai, and oblivious to the fact that Sammy had dashed out of the other side of the building just moments ago, were the Sailor Senshi, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus. They walked into the school and gasped as they saw the dented lockers, cracked walls, and devastated floors left by the fiends who had tormented the school. Many more monsters had been in the building besides the one Sammy, Rick, and Mika had fought, but they, like the giant turtle which had nearly killed Sammy and his friends, were all slain by Sparrow, who had also left the building just a few minutes ago.

"This place is a wreck, just like our own school," Sailor Moon said in a subdued tone as she looked inside the classrooms and gazed at the damaged halls. 

  
"It looks like a total warzone," Sailor Mars said. "But... where are all the children?"

"Maybe they got out.... I don't see any youmas here," Sailor Jupiter said. "Did someone... did Sammy.... what happened here?"

As the Senshi turned the corner into one of the hallways, the hall in front of Sammy's classroom, a glowing purple sphere on the ground alerted them to its presence, and they ran over to it, in wonder of what it was.

  
"It could be dangerous, you guys," Sailor Moon said quietly. "So don't touch it!"

"It's okay, Sailor Moon..." Sailor Mars said, reaching down and picking up the glowing orb from the ground. "It's not hurting me to touch it..."

"Be careful!" Sailor Venus snapped, snatching the sphere away from Sailor Mars. "Really, Sailor Moon said it was dangerous... wait, that means I shouldn't be touching it!"

Startled, Sailor Venus dropped the sphere, and the Senshi all gasped as it plummeted to the ground. But as it hit, it didn't shatter. It made a loud, metallic clunking noise, and rolled over to the wall. Then, a bright light emerged from the sphere, the light composed of the same purple hue that the sphere was. Out of the light came the ghostly image of Sparrow, projected upward from the sphere.

"It's Sparrow!" Sailor Moon gasped, pointing at the holographic form. "What's she doing in-"

"Sailor Senshi, it's me, Sparrow Migoto," said the hologram, giving a friendly wink at the Senshi. "If you're wondering about Sammy... don't worry, he's perfectly safe. All of the students at this school escaped safely... I can only hope the same is true for your own school. Please, relay this message to Ami as well, if she's not present... I don't want her worrying, okay? Peace!"

The hologram faded, and then, the sphere shattered into a thousand pieces, which then disintegrated into tiny, glowing energy specks that floated up into the air and vanished. Sailor Moon smiled, and tears began to come to her eyes.

"Sammy..." Sailor Moon sobbed, intensely relieved that her brother and his friends were safe. "I knew you could do it... and thank you, Sparrow..."

  
"Well, that's a relief," Sailor Jupiter said, sighing and wiping off her brow. "I guess we'd better contact Ami now, huh?"

---

Ami's school, while being reserved for only the best and brightest students in Juuban, still had all the same facilities that a normal school would have, such as a cafeteria, a gym, and a swimming pool. Inbetween the second and third class periods of Ami's three-class daily schedule, the school allowed for students to take a half-hour break, to study in the library, play in the gym, or to swim in the pool. Ami generally frequented the library, but once in every two weeks or so, Ami would come to the pool and swim, the only physical activity which she really enjoyed, besides her tickling and kissing contests with Sammy. Ami, wearing a one-piece bathing suit of a slightly lighter blue than the color of her hair, with straps that went up over her shoulders, and a light dip in the rear of the bathing suit that showed just a tiny bit of her back past her shoulders (though Ami had a beautiful figure, she was still extremely modest), slowly walked toward the pool, and then dove in head-first, her graceful arms swiftly carrying her slender frame across the light-blue water. She swam over and back a few times, before her Senshi communicator, neatly tucked in her backpack which rested just below a metal bench near the pool, began to ring. Ami heard the ringing communicator, and ran over to answer it, ducking into the nearby locker room to conceal her conversation from the other students who were using the pool. She sat down against a row of lockers and began to speak.

"Hello, I'm here..." Ami said quietly.

"Ami, is that you?" came Sailor Moon's voice on the other end. "We just wanted to tell you that both my school and Sammy's were just attacked by-"  


Ami gasped loudly, in shock. She quickly clasped her hand over her lips, stifling any terrified words that might have emerged from her mouth loud enough to be heard by any classmates passing by. She slowly slid her trembling hand down to her side and began to speak again.

"What?" she whispered, her voice beginning to tremble. "Is Sammy... are you..."

"We're all okay, don't worry," Sailor Moon said reassuringly. "We defeated the monsters at our school, and Sammy and Sparrow defeated the fiends at theirs... we're all fine."

"Oh, thank goodness you're all okay..." Ami said, her trembling hands slowly coming to a rest. "Is Sammy with you?"

"No, I think he might be headed back home...." Sailor Moon said. "But he's perfectly safe... it's okay, Ami."

"I'm so glad... tell Sparrow I said thank you for protecting Sammy, alright?" Ami requested. "And thank you for telling me, Serena..."

"You're welcome, Ami," Sailor Moon said warmly. "Stay safe, okay?"

Ami nodded, and then slowly put the communicator away, walking back out to the pool.

__

"I'm glad Sammy's safe... I just wish I could've protected him," Ami thought, slowly sliding back down into the water. _"And I wish I never had to..."_

---

Meanwhile, Greg and Bianca were still in class, advanced computer systems. Greg was working on a simple program, while Bianca was busy with a computer-aided design program, working on the exterior of a simulated sports car.

"How does this look, Greg?" Bianca asked, pointing to her computer screen. "Does this look like a car you'd drive?"

  
"I dunno," Greg said meekly. "I wouldn't want it to go too fast..."

  
Bianca giggled.

  
"Well, I guess that's the safest way to think about it," she replied. "But... it does look nice, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does," Greg said, turning back to look at his screen. "What you're doing looks a lot more interesting than my coding...."

  
"I've already finished my coding," Bianca said. "So I get free time for the rest of the period... I just pulled up this program because it looked neat... need any help?"

Greg turned back toward Bianca and blushed.

__

"She's... already done?" Greg thought nervously. _"Ugh, I'm getting so slow nowadays... it's hard to think straight about anything... it can't be because of Ami, can it? Has seeing her again really affected me that much? I've got to get over her!"_

"Um... Greg?" Bianca said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Are you-"

  
"Fine," Greg said, a hint of anger in his voice. "Everything's fine..."

  
"I see," Bianca replied, feeling a bit of concern. "I was just making sure..."

Suddenly, a large, black rift appeared in the front of the room. All of the students turned away from their work and gasped as they saw the large, glowing circle of dark light in front of them. After a few moments, Jekelai emerged from the portal, and it quickly closed behind him. The teacher rose up from his desk and confronted Jekelai.

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?" the teacher shouted. "I demand to know where-"

  
Jekelai pointed his arm at the teacher's chest and fired a tiny speck of energy. As soon as the energy hit the man's chest, his body illuminated with black light, and he only had time to scream for a split-second before his body completely disintegrated, vanishing into thin air.

"You... you killed him!" shouted a girl sitting at the front of the room. "How dare you-"

Jekelai pointed his arm at the three rows of desks, students, and computers, and fired another, slightly larger blast of energy. The blast slammed into the floor and created a fiery explosion that ripped through the room, smashing desks, destroying valuable computer equipment, and instantly killing several of the students. Greg and Bianca leaped up from their desk at the back of the room and dove away from the fiery explosion, hitting the floor and covering up their heads to shield themselves from the carnage.

"What's going on?" Bianca screamed, terrified. 

"I don't know!" Greg shouted back, just as scared as Bianca was. _"Please, Ami... get out of this buidling while you still can..."_

As the explosion settled, and smoke sifted through the ravaged room, Greg and Bianca slowly stood up. They huddled around one another, linking hands and dashing out of the room before Jekelai could see them. They ran out into the hall and joined other students in fleeing in terror for their lives. But at the end of the hall lurked a tall, humanoid figure, with dark red skin and a large, lizard-like tail. The creature pointed its arms at the crowd of fleeing students, who stopped and gasped in horror at what was about to come.

"Say goodnight, fools!" shouted the fiend, firing a large magical energy blast into the crowd. The blast slammed into the fleeing students and detonated in a large explosion that killed several more of them and sent the survivors, including Greg and Bianca, crashing to their knees.

"Greg, this is terrible!" Bianca shouted, tears streaming down her face. Greg, who was crying as well, wrapped his arms around Bianca's chest in an attempt to console his new friend. "I... I knew some of those people... who just got blasted, Greg... I...."

"I know...." Greg sobbed, clenching his teeth and bracing for the monster's attack. "It's... it's going to be alright, Bianca... we've gotta get through this, okay?"

Still inside the classroom, Jekelai smiled as he surveyed the extent of his destruction. Then, he pointed his arm at one of the walls of the room, behind which were several class rooms, a couple of them still filled with students. He fired a large blast of magical energy, creating a huge explosion that swept through the adjacent rooms, sending a huge cloud of smoke and fire into the air. That was when loud alarms began to blare, all over the building, and hundreds of students rushed out of their classrooms and into the halls, unaware that Jekelai's mercenaries were waiting for them.

---

"Thank you, Sparrow," Mika said, hugging Sparrow as she stood on the porch of her home. Sparrow had dropped off both Rick and Mika at Mika's house, and was now preparing to head back to Serena's home to wait for the girls to arrive. "You saved Rick, and Sammy, and me, and all of my friends at the school... thank you so much..."

  
"You're welcome, Mika," Sparrow said, smiling. Slowly, the door closed, and Sparrow walked down to the sidewalk. Suddenly, she saw a large plume of smoke, rising into the air behind a row of trees. She turned toward the smoke and gasped when she realized where it had originated. "That's Ami's school!"

Sparrow dashed down the sidewalk and ran toward the school, as quickly as she could. She wanted to conserve energy, so she didn't teleport... and she hoped that she would be able to get to the school on time.

---

Meanwhile, Ami had also heard the explosions and the loud siren that signaled to everyone in her school that an emergency was taking place. She rushed out of the pool with her classmates, nearly slipping on the tiled floor as her wet feet slid across the slippery surface. She made it into the locker room, quickly realizing what was going on.

__

"Those fiends couldn't get to Sammy, Serena, or the others... so now they're going after me!" Ami thought. _"I have to transform!"_

Ami ran out of the locker room and ducked into the nearby athletic office, taking her henshin stick along with her. After looking to confirm that there was no one nearby, she closed and locked the office door and began to transform.

"Mercury Crystal Power!"

---

Sammy, who had journeyed to Ami's school as quickly as he could, finally reached the building after several minutes of intense running. He looked up and saw the smoke and fire emanating from the building, collapsing to the ground nearby as intense fatigue began to set in. Hundreds of students were pouring out of the school, but it was clear by the loud screams coming from the building that many more students remained inside. 

__

"Ami... I promise you I'm coming..."

Sammy stood up, walking into the building and ignoring the shouting from the students rushing out, as many of them begged him to stop. He pushed through the crowds and ran inside, where a scene of chaos was unfolding. The tall, red mercenary that had tormented the crowd of students earlier was now roaming the halls, seeking out any students that remained in the building. Sammy ran up to the fiend and confronted it, and it turned around and smiled when it realized who was standing in front of him.

"You posssssesssss the Dark Cryssssstal, yessss?" said the mercenary in a miserable, hissing voice. "My name isssssss Ragorath, and I've already blassssssted away about fifty of your little girlfriend'ssss classsssmatesssssss! Doessssn't the death of all thesssssse people jusssst make your blood boil?"  


Sammy's face lit up with rage, and he slashed his sword across the Ragorath's chest, creating a large, deep gash that elicited a screech of pain from the red-skinned mercenary.

"How dare you!" Ragorath shouted, blasting Sammy with an energy blast that sent him flying backward, landing hard on his back and skidding across the floor. Sammy quickly climbed to his feet and ran at Ragorath again. As the monster fired another blast, Sammy smacked it away, back at him. The blast smacked Ragorath in the face, knocking him to the ground. Sammy saw his chance, and stood over the mercenary, ready for the killing blow.

"I'll teach you to mess with Ami and her friends," Sammy said, his sword pointed at the Ragorath's chest. "Say goodbye."

  
Suddenly, Ragorath's long tail lifted Sammy up by his ankle and flung him into the wall. Sammy hit the wall with a loud smack and slid down against it, giving Ragorath time to stand up and recover for the next attack. Sammy quickly got up himself, pointing his sword at the mercenary's chest once again.

"You think you can defeat me that easily, Sammy?" Ragorath asked, smiling and waving his tail back and forth. "You're just a boy... a pathetic boy!"

"You're just making the same mistake everyone else has made," Sammy replied. He rushed Ragorath, leaping over the mercenary's tail as it swept on the ground, trying to trip him. Then, he slashed at Ragorath's neck, but missed, and simply cut his shoulder. The wound still caused Ragorath to stumble backward, giving Sammy time to knock him back down to the floor with a kick to the face. Sammy walked over to the stunned mercenary and quickly stabbed him in the chest.

"And that's the end of that," Sammy said, pulling out his sword. As soon as he had done so, Ragorath disintegrated.

"I wouldn't say that, Sammy!" shouted a loud voice from behind Sammy's back. As soon as Sammy turned around, he was greeted with a hard punch to the face that sent him sprawling backward. Standing in front of Sammy was one of Jekelai's mercenaries, far more powerful than Ragorath was. He was a tall, muscular man wearing a thick suit of armor, and a large helmet over his head. Sammy stood up and took several steps back from the powerful fiend.

"I don't know who you are, but-"

"My name is Katura!" shouted the mercenary, reaching out and grabbing Sammy by the neck before he had time to get away. He lifted Sammy up into the air, holding him out away from his body so that he couldn't attack Katura with his katana.

"Lemme... go!" Sammy shouted, struggling to breathe as Katura gripped his throat. "Can't... breathe..."

"Mwahahaha!" Katura laughed. "Pathetic child... it's a good thing Jekelai wants you alive, or-"  


"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

  
Several large waves of freezing water slammed into Katura from behind, causing him to drop Sammy to the ground and spin around. There, standing just a few feet down the hall, was Sailor Mercury, an angry look on her face.

"I will not allow you to mess with my friends!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "And in the name of Mercury... I'll punish you!"

"Ah, you must be Ami!" shouted Katura, wiping some of the cold water away from his face. "You'll pay for interfering!"

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Katura's back as Sammy stabbed him from behind with his sword, causing Katura to double over in pain. Sammy removed his sword from Katura's back and ran around him to greet Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mercury smiled and embraced Sammy tightly, then kissed him on the cheek.

"Sammy, I'm sorry I couldn't come to your school earlier and help you," Sailor Mercury said regretfully. "I'm so glad you were able to get out safely..."

  
"I'm glad you're safe, Ami," Sammy said, hugging Sailor Mercury even tighter. "I thought... I thought Jekelai was going to... going to hurt you, Ami..."

Katura, who had recovered from Sammy and Sailor Mercury's attacks, was now preparing to strike Sammy and Sailor Mercury a second time. But neither of them was going to let him do that.

"It's over for you, Katura," Sailor Mercury said. "Mercury Ice Javelin!"

Hundreds of spears of ice came rushing at Katura. As soon as they hit him, he disintegrated, and Sailor Mercury and Sammy immediately rejoiced at the mercenary's defeat.

"Ami, you did it!" Sammy said, hugging Sailor Mercury a second time. "Thanks for rescuing me..."

  
"It's okay, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said. "Anytime for you..."

  
"How many more monsters are there?" Sammy asked.

"I'm not sure," Sailor Mercury said. "We'd better get looking..."

---

Meanwhile, Greg and Bianca were hiding in one of the still-intact classrooms, having been chased there by a powerful mercenary. Greg had twisted his ankle, and Bianca had to drag him into the restroom, as it was very hard for Greg to walk on his own.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Greg said, clutching his injured ankle. "I can barely stand..."

  
"It's going to be alright, Greg... trust me, it will," Bianca said. She began to gently rub her hands over Greg's ankle, causing him to wince slightly.

"Bianca, what are you..."

"Shh, it's okay," she replied. "I've seen my dad do this before... it's a therapeutic massage, it should make you feel better soon... at least I hope it does...."

As Bianca continued to massage the ankle, Greg could feel his pain begin to slowly lift away.

"It... it doesn't hurt anymore!" Greg said, smiling. "Thank you!"

Bianca smiled back at Greg, happy that she was able to help.

"You're very welcome," Bianca said softly. "Now, let's get out of here before-"

Too late. A loud explosion sounded from outside, and the same mercenary that had chased Greg and Bianca into the classroom now walked in through a large, smoking hole where the door used to be. Greg and Bianca crouched under one of the desks and embraced tightly, both of them trembling.

"He's going to get us..." Bianca whispered, beginning to cry again. "Just like everyone else..."  


"I'm sorry.... I couldn't... I slowed us down, I'm so weak," Greg replied.

"No, you're not weak, Greg," Bianca whispered, looking right into his eyes. "You went with me this whole time... there were times you could've gotten out of here, but... you stayed with me, Greg..."

  
"When I twisted my ankle, you could've gotten out too," Greg whispered, hugging Bianca even tighter as the mercenary walked closer and closer to them. "You... saved my life... why?"

"Because.... I just... I...."

Then, Greg and Bianca's trembling lips met, kissing only briefly before the mercenary picked up the desk they were crouched under and threw it into the wall, putting both of them out into the open.

"We're finished..." Bianca whispered, tears streaming down her face. "No...."

Just then, several ice spears pierced the mercenary's back, and it immediately turned its attention away from Greg and Bianca, turning around to see Sammy and Sailor Mercury, standing together at the entrance of the room. Sammy ran at the mercenary and quickly slashed at its arm, but his slash was parried by the mercenary's own sword, clashing against Sammy's and making a loud, metallic noise.

"Um... a little help here?" Sammy asked, smiling back at Sailor Mercury.

"You got it!" Mercury said. "Mercury Bubbles Blast!"

Suddenly, the room was filled in a thick, misty fog. Greg and Bianca stood up, but found it just as hard to see in the fog as the mercenary did. 

"Sammy, help Greg and Bianca get out of here!" Sailor Mercury said. "I'll take care of this fiend!"

"But I-"

"Please, Sammy," Sailor Mercury pleaded. "I... I'll be alright."

"Okay..."

  
Sammy, who was also having trouble in the dense fog, still managed to find Greg and Bianca, who were still crouching on the floor in fright. He helped them to their feet, and the three of them quickly evacuated the room.

"This way," Sammy said, leading the two toward one of the school's exits. Greg, despite his twisted ankle, was able to hobble down the hallway, and when the three had made it to the exit, Bianca wrapped her arms around Greg's chest, nearly knocking him off-balance.

"Greg... we're going to be safe now," Bianca said.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Bianca," Greg replied, smiling warmly at her. "And thank you for making my leg feel better... but, um... what was that... that kiss back there?"

"You guys kissed?" Sammy asked. "Greg, wow... so Bianca's your girlfriend now, not Ami?"

  
Greg blushed, and Bianca giggled, turning back to Greg.

"Well.... honestly, I.... I'd like him to be," Bianca said. "Greg, would you...."

"I.... I would," Greg said. "I'd like that very much!"

Bianca let out a loud squeal of happiness and tightly hugged Greg again, who returned the hug and then kissed Bianca on the cheek.

"Sammy... you and Ami be careful, alright?" Greg asked. "And if there are any other students in danger, please do your best to save them."

  
"I will, Greg," Sammy said. "I promise."

---

Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Sailor Mercury had just exterminated the mercenary by stabbing one of her ice javelins into its chest while it was blinded in the fog.

"Now I'd probably better get back to Sammy," Sailor Mercury said. "But first, I should probably call the other Senshi... Sammy and I can't do this alone."

  
Sailor Mercury raised her communicator to her lips and began to speak. 

  
"Serena, are you there?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Serena?"

  
"Oooh, you caught me at a bad time, Ami," Serena said. "I'm kinda busy with something..."

"Serena, is that Ami?" Darien asked. "Ami, what's wrong?"

  
"There's a bad situation at my school," Sailor Mercury replied. "You see, Jekelai's mercenaries attacked, and-"

"We'll be right over!" shouted Serena's voice. "C'mon, Darien, get the other girls and let's go!"

"Thank you," Sailor Mercury said. She lowered her arm to her side and slowly walked out of the classroom, looking down the halls for any sign of Sammy. "Sammy? Sammy, where are you? He should be over by the nearest exit... maybe-"

  
A large hand clamped over Sailor Mercury's mouth, and her arms instinctively flew to her face, trying to pull the hand away. She could not move the hand, and began to scream, her loud cries being muffled.

"Ami, Ami, Ami, it's been so long," came Jekelai's menacing voice from behind Ami. "That was all too easy... let's take a walk, shall we?"

Jekelai pulled Sailor Mercury down the hall, turning a corner and walking into the school's large gymnasium. He walked to the center of the gym and stopped, still holding the struggling Water Senshi.

"Like it, Ami?" Jekelai asked. "It will soon be the site of your death..."

A large, crackling ball of red magical energy slammed into Jekelai's back, shocking him with millions of volts of electricity, but not harming Sailor Mercury at all. He let out a cry of pain and fell forward, releasing Sailor Mercury from his grasp. She stumbled forward as well, but didn't fall, and came to a stop several feet away from Jekelai, gasping for breath. She turned around and looked up, and there, sitting on one of the rafters that were hanging from the ceiling, was her savior, Sparrow Migoto.

"Sparrow!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "How did you-"

  
"You have to go, NOW!" Sparrow shouted back. "This entire building is a trap! You're Jekelai's target!"

"That's right, Sparrow," Jekelai shouted in a rage, standing up. "And I am not letting you interfere with my plans!"  


Jekelai pointed his arm at Sailor Mercury, and blasted her with a ball of dark energy, sending her flying back into the wall. She impacted the wall and let out a loud scream, painfully sliding down against it and falling unconscious. Sparrow flew down at Jekelai with incredible speed, her katana unsheathed and ready to strike. 

"If that's the way you're going to play..." Jekelai said, beginning to rise up into the air, "then take THIS!"

Jekelai flew at Sparrow at the same speed, and as the two collided, they created a momentous energy explosion that shattered all of the windows at the top of the gymnasium, and blasted the roof clear off of the ceiling. Sammy, wandering just outside and looking for Ami, quickly ran into the gym to see what had caused the explosion. He stopped when he saw the unconscious form of Sailor Mercury, lying against the back wall of the gym, and ran over to her, a look of fright on his face.

"Ami.... Ami!" Sammy said, gently kneeling down next to Sailor Mercury and caressing his hand gently over her forehead. "Are you okay? Please, please be okay..."

Above the floor of the gym, above Sammy and Sailor Mercury, were Jekelai and Sparrow, their battle exposed to the sky by the destruction of the roof. By now, all of the mercenaries were gone, all of the surviving students and teachers had fled the building, and the only witnesses to Sparrow and Jekelai's fight would be the two lovers, one of them still unconscious, and the other one frantically trying to awaken her, his tears falling onto her Senshi uniform.

"Only a coward hurts those weaker than themselves," Sparrow said angrily, facing Jekelai from a distance of about thirty feet.

"So then, if you were stronger than me, and you hurt me, you would be a coward, wouldn't you, Sparrow Migoto?" Jekelai asked, a smirk on his face.

"Don't you dare use that logic to justify your actions," Sparrow replied. "You know what I mean."

Sparrow flew at Jekelai again, and took a hard punch to the chin as Jekelai ducked under her charge and hit her with a vicious uppercut. As Sparrow wiped a trickle of blood from her chin, Jekelai blasted Sparrow in the legs with a powerful blast of magical energy, sending a huge amount of pain shooting upward through Sparrow's body.

"It's gonna be okay, Ami..." Sammy said quietly, ignoring the fight and still trying to awaken his unconscious lover. "I won't let anything happen to you..."

Slowly, Sailor Mercury's eyes began to open, and she let out a loud groan.

"Ami!" Sammy said, sensing the pain in Ami's body and gently resting his hand on her forehead. "Don't... just take it easy... okay, Ami?"

"Sa...Sammy..." she whispered up at him, clenching his left hand in both of hers while his right hand continued to caress her face. "What's... going on?"

  
"Jekelai and Sparrow are fighting," Sammy told her quietly. "We've got to escape... can you stand?"

Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a loud, crashing noise from above and a loud, painful scream. Sammy looked up to see Jekelai, his hands pinned to the wall by two glowing energy spikes. 

"Get away from the wall, now!" Sparrow shouted, her body glowing with an immense amount of magical energy. "NOW!"

Without a word, Sammy picked up Sailor Mercury and ran toward the other side of the gym, as quickly as he could. As soon as they were at a safe distance, Sparrow flew at Jekelai's chest like a bullet, and Jekelai gasped as he realized he would be unable to break free from the spikes, piercing into his hands and holding him to the wall at the same time. Sparrow's head slammed into Jekelai's chest, and in an instant, the entire wall cracked and crumbled, and a huge explosion of energy engulfed both warriors. As debris from the wall flew out towards Sammy and Sailor Mercury, Sammy dove over her body, holding her close and cringing as some of the rocks pelted him.

"I'm... going to protect you, Ami..." Sammy groaned, hovering over Sailor Mercury's body like a protective shell.

  
"Sammy, please stop..." Sailor Mercury said, tears stinging her eyes. "You can't... you can't let yourself... get hurt..."

  
"You've already been hurt too much, Ami..." Sammy said quietly. 

__

"No, Sammy... no, I haven't..."

Mustering all of her strength, Sailor Mercury rose to her feet, stepping in front of Sammy and courageously blocking the rest of the debris from hitting him. Then, she collapsed back onto the ground, her body covered in bruises.

"Ami!" Sammy shouted in anguish, rushing to her side once again. "Why did you..."

  
"I love you, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, smiling and looking up into Sammy's eyes. "I'll... always love you."

  
"I love you too, Ami..." Sammy said, kneeling down next to Ami and gently kissing her on the lips. 

Meanwhile, Sparrow was sifting through the huge pile of debris left by the crumbled wall, sure that Jekelai was still alive somewhere under the rocks.

"Come out and face me, you coward," Sparrow said, angrily tossing rocks away. "Or I'll-"

  
"You'll what?" 

And right in front of Sparrow, floating up out of the rocks, was Jekelai, burned and battered by Sparrow's attack, but still at nearly full strength.

"This is not what I came for," Jekelai said angrily, looking past Sparrow and seeing Sammy, kneeling over the fallen Sailor Mercury and tightly gripping her hand. "I didn't come to fight you, Sparrow."

"You'll never touch her again," Sparrow said. "Your fight is with ME!"  


"I don't think so."

A long, black beam shot out from Jekelai's hand, too fast for Sparrow or Sammy to stop. It hit Sailor Mercury and wrapped around her, lifting her into the air and binding her arms to her chest, and wrapping her legs together. Then, a large, black gate appeared in the center of the room. The energy beam ripped Sailor Mercury away from Sammy and into the gate, a loud scream from her being that last thing that anyone in the room heard.

"AMI!"

  
Sammy ran toward the gate, but as soon as he got up to it, a large energy beam shot out from the gate and blasted him backwards, crumpling him to the ground.

"Sparrow, you're the only one that can enter that gate and save Ami's life," Jekelai said, smiling. "If you don't go in there now, Ami will die."

"Sparrow, hurry!" Sammy shouted. "You have to save Ami, please!"

__

"Jekelai wants to face Sammy alone..." Sparrow thought. _"I can't leave him... but if I don't follow Ami, she'll die.... dammit!"_

With a look of rage, Sparrow spat in Jekelai's face. Then, she ran into the gate as quickly as she could. As soon as she leapt into it, it snapped shut behind her, leaving Sammy and Jekelai alone in the rapidly crumbling gymnasium. Sammy unsheathed his sword and turned toward Jekelai, gripping the hilt of the blade and walking forward, his emotions a whirling maelstrom of anger and fear for Ami's life.

"I'm going to kill you," Sammy said. As soon as he had finished those words, an aura of black energy began to surround his body. Jekelai smiled in approval.

  
"The Dark Crystal just became much stronger within you," Jekelai said. "Good. When Sparrow and Ami die, that energy will explode and the crystal's power will be released."

  
"I won't let that happen," Sammy said. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

---

Okay, finally it's getting ready to begin. Sammy vs. Jekelai II... and another cliffie. *smirks* I'll keep doing these unless I get more reviews... *dances* Cliffy cliffy cliffy...


	15. A Momentous Burst

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: Coming next chapter!

---

"I'm going to kill you, Jekelai!"

  
"Tough words for such a young man... perhaps you should at least attack first before you start boasting."

  
Fueled by adrenaline and rage, Sammy rushed Jekelai and repeatedly swung his sword at his head and midsection. Sammy's blows came in faster than Jekelai had anticipated, and he quickly raised up his arms to block the swings. Using a powerful aura of magic around both of his arms, Jekelai blocked all of Sammy's attacks, then blasted him backward with a powerful beam of magical energy. Sammy flew back and hit the floor hard, crying out in pain.

  
"What's the matter, Sammy?" Jekelai asked mockingly, slowly walking over to the downed boy as he struggled to stand. "Ami's in danger... she could die at any second. You'd better hope Sparrow brings her back alive."

  
"When you die.... Ami and Sparrow will come back..." Sammy groaned, standing up. "I can't fail them! I have to destroy you!"

Sammy mightily swung his sword at Jekelai's head, but Jekelai easily blocked the slash with his finger. 

"As long as I keep my energy up, Sammy, your sword can't hurt me," Jekelai said, smiling.

"Then I'll just have to wear you down!" Sammy shouted. He took several more swings at Jekelai, but each time his sword came forward, Jekelai blocked it, and each time he blocked it, it seemed more and more easy. Now, Sammy was beginning to get frustrated.

"Are you done?" Jekelai asked. "No? Too bad."

Before Sammy could swing his sword again, several large, sharp vines burst forth from the ground around Sammy. They intertwined and wrapped together, trapping Sammy in a small cage as the vines wrapped around a fixed point several feet above Sammy's head, sealing together. Sammy immediately began chopping at the bars of the vine cage with his sword, but he could do no damage to the thick vines trapping him.

"Perhaps you should see what is happening to your precious Ami," Jekelai said, opening up a small, portal just outside of Sammy's cage. Sammy desperately reached for it, but his reach extended merely inches short of the entrance of the portal. "This small portal leads to the same place my larger one did... and by the way, even if you could go in, it's far too small for you to fit in. Think of it as a... television, Sammy. Just watch... and enjoy the show."

---

Meanwhile, just outside of Ami's school, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus were desperately rushing toward the scene of the battle. They dashed inside the school and looked all around the halls, searching for any sign of Sammy.

  
"Sammy? Ami?" Sailor Moon cried out loudly. "Please, if you can hear me..."

  
"What happened here?" Sailor Mars gasped in horror, seeing several bodies of fallen students lying on the floor. "They... they're dead..."

  
"No!" Sailor Jupiter shouted in anguish, collapsing to the floor. "We got here too late..."

"Do you.... do you think Sammy and Ami are-" Sailor Venus began.

"NO!" Sailor Moon shouted, grabbing Sailor Venus firmly by the arms. "They're alive, I know it! They have to be! They.... they...."

  
As the reality of the situation began to sink in, tears began to stream down Sailor Moon's face, and down the faces of the other Senshi as well. Sailor Mars raised her wrist communicator to her lips and began to speak into it.

  
"Ami... come in... Ami, are you here? Ami?"

Sailor Mars turned to the others, a terrified look on her face.

"Nothing... just... just static," Sailor Mars sobbed. "Mercury is... something terrible must have happened!"

---

The first thing Sparrow noticed after the portal closed behind her were volcanoes... lots of volcanoes... and fire, and molten lava. The entire landscape around her was a burning field of fire, with only molten rock to stand on. Sparrow quickly floated above the rivers of flame to avoid having her feet burned by the deadly magma. 

"What... what is this place?" Sparrow said solemnly, looking all around. "Sailor Mercury, where are you? SAILOR MERCURY!"

  
Though Sparrow screamed at the top of her lungs, Sailor Mercury was nowhere to be seen. The most noticeable landscape amongst the fields of flame was a gigantic volcano, by far the tallest that Sparrow could see. It was nearly ten miles high, and a large plume of smoke was floating upward from its huge crater. 

"She... she must be up there," Sparrow said, looking up at the smoking volcano and feeling a slight twinge of fear as a huge rumbling began just beneath her feet. "The entire planet is shaking apart! I have to hurry!"

With incredible speed, Sparrow flew up the volcano's surface, sure that Sailor Mercury was somewhere near the top.

---

The small portal before Sammy's eyes snapped shut, and he immediately flared with rage.

"You sent her to a volcano?" Sammy shouted.

  
"Not just any volcano, Sammy... I sent her to one of my pocket dimensions... my favorite one, in fact. I also sent a powerful and deadly mercenary to deal with Sparrow, should she actually reach your beloved Ami... they'll both be dying, very soon."

"How... how... HOW DARE YOU!" Sammy shouted, his anger growing in intensity with every second, as it was fueled by the fear that Sammy was feeling for Ami's life. "You're nothing but a pathetic coward, Jekelai! You knew that Sparrow could beat you, so you sent her after Ami so you could get me alone... and kill them both without me interfering!"

"Whatever you say, Sammy," Jekelai said, pointing his arm at the cage around Sammy. "Maybe I should shut you up..."

  
Jekelai fired a tiny ball of energy into the cage. It slammed into Sammy's chest and knocked him to the ground.

"I... I won't let you hurt Ami... I won't... I won't..." 

Jekelai fired another energy ball into the cage, but this time, Sammy was ready. He leapt to his feet and smashed the blade of his sword into the energy ball, knocking it out of the cage and sending it flying up and into the sky through the demolished roof of the gym. Sammy's energy aura began to grow again, and then, with a loud scream, burst outward, shattering the bars of the cage and causing Jekelai to recoil in shock.

__

"The Dark Crystal... its power is intensifying within Sammy... it's about to come out, I know it!"

Sammy rushed at Jekelai and slashed at his face, as the sword and Sammy's entire body took on an intense black glow. Jekelai raised his arm to block the slash, and Sammy's sword slashed into it, creating a large, bloody gash that stunned Jekelai even more. Now, Sammy was on the offensive. He lunged forward with a punch to Jekelai's cheek that sent Jekelai tumbling back, and nearly falling to the ground.

"I've had enough of you!" Jekelai shouted as Sammy prepared to strike him again. "Take THIS!"

Jekelai pointed his arm at Sammy, and a powerful, cyclonic burst of wind rushed upward from the floor and swept Sammy up into the sky before disappearing and rudely dropping him to the ground with incredible force. Sammy put out his arms to brace himself from the fall, and landed hard on them, rolling over onto his back. His sword had been knocked from his hands by the cyclone, and was lying several feet away from Sammy. Sammy crawled over and put his fingers around the hilt, and then slowly climbed to his feet. 

"Sammy!" shouted Sailor Moon, rushing into the room followed by Mars, Jupiter, and Venus. "Oh dear... he's hurt really, really badly..."

  
"Sammy, are you alright?" Sailor Jupiter shouted.

"And where's Sailor Mercury?" Sailor Venus asked. "We-"

"No!" Jekelai shouted, sneering at the Senshi in contempt. "You will not interfere!"

Jekelai extended both of his arms outward, and large, sweeping, purple energy panels encircled the interior of the gym, creating a circular ring about forty feet in diameter, forming a magical energy barrier that blocked out the Senshi, who were forced to stand on the outside and observe the ongoing fight.

"Now that they're out of the way," Jekelai said, "we-"

  
"Can finish this," Sammy said coldly, his energy aura beginning to flare up again. _"My body hurts so much... the Dark Crystal has a hold over me, it's giving me all of this power... I can feel it..."_

Sammy ripped off his white sweater, revealing a slightly bruised and burned chest and two moderately bruised arms, damaged by the fall Sammy had just taken. He continued to wear his blue jeans, though they had sustained several rips and tears, and a stream of blood could be seen trickling down from one of his knees. Jekelai looked at the injuries he'd caused and smiled in approval.

"Let's stop all of this talking now and begin fighting again," Jekelai said. "Now that the Senshi can't interfere, you won't have to worry about me killing them... yet."

---

After two minutes of nonstop flying at an extremely rapid pace, Sparrow reached the top of the volcano. There, suspended by glowing chains of energy above a huge, smoking crater, was Sailor Mercury, dangling from her wrists above a gigantic lake of smoldering lava, hundreds of feet below. As Sparrow flew in to get a closer look, she realized that the Senshi of Water was unconscious, obviously from the heavy injuries that Jekelai had inflicted.

"Don't worry, Ami... I'll get you down from there..."

"Touch any one of those chains and they disappear... she'll be dumped right into the lava!" shouted a high-pitched male voice from behind Sparrow. Sparrow turned around and was face to face with a tall, red-haired man, floating just a few feet in front of her. He had a dastardly sneer on his face, and his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

"Why did you tell me that?" Sparrow asked. "If you want her dead anyway..."

  
"Because I'd rather torture her when she's alive than kill her when she's unconscious!" shouted the man, laughing loudly. Sparrow frowned.

"So you're a sadistic psycho... I see," Sparrow said. "And so I'm going to have to fight you to get Ami back, am I right?" 

"Bingo," the man said. "Now you're catching on. I'm Kerigulus, one of Jekelai's most powerful mercenaries, and-"

  
"You're going to kill me and Ami, and report back to Jekelai," Sparrow said sarcastically. "Well, it's not going to happen today."

---

As Sammy and Jekelai resumed their battle, the four Senshi languished outside, desperate to assist in the fight.

"We have to get in there and save Sammy!" Sailor Moon shouted, still crying profusely. "He's my only brother, and I can't let him die! I can't!"

  
"There's nothing we can do, Sailor Moon," Sailor Mars said, a look of sadness on her face. "I know Sammy needs us, but... we're going to have to wait for an opportunity..."

  
"What if he DIES before then?" Sailor Moon screamed. 

  
Sailor Moon collapsed to her knees, overwhelmed by hopelessness and grief. Inside the purple barrier, Sammy ran at Jekelai again, sword in hand.

__

"I managed to cut him last time!" Sammy thought. _"So I know he's starting to wear down, or I'm getting stronger... one of the two... don't worry, Ami! I promise I'll beat Jekelai for you!"_

Jekelai didn't move, even as Sammy began to run quicker and quicker. But as Sammy got just three feet away from Jekelai, a black energy dome appeared around him, stopping him in his tracks. Jekelai took a step away from the dome and waved his arm, causing the dome to explode in a huge flash of energy.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sailor Moon screamed, running into the purple barrier and being blasted backward by its powerful magic, slamming into the wall behind her and slumping against it. Ignoring her pain, she rose to her feet and tried to run at the pulsating barrier again, but was restrained by all three Sailor Senshi, who held her back despite her immense struggles to get away.

"It's... no good... Sailor Moon!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. "The barrier is... too powerful..."

"LET ME GO!" Sailor Moon screamed. "MY BROTHER IS IN THERE, AND-"

"Is perfectly fine, Serena."

"What?" Jekelai roared, looking at the spot where the dome had been. The explosion had created a small crater, but Sammy was nearly unharmed by the attack, walking out of the crater with only minor cuts and burns from the powerful attack. The aura of dark energy around his body was now extremely prominent, and it was clear that the Dark Crystal's power had shielded him from the attack. Sailor Moon smiled at Sammy, and then fainted in the Senshi's arms. Sammy turned back to Jekelai and frowned.

"You made my sister faint... I can't forgive you for that, Jekelai," Sammy said angrily.

  
"She shouldn't have rushed my barrier," Jekelai replied. "She should know better than that. Actually, she should be dead."

---

Kerigulus flew at Sparrow, ready to strike. Though he was powerful, he was very naive, and Jekelai hadn't informed him of the extent of Sparrow's powers. Kerigulus finally reached Sparrow and formed two large, glowing energy sabers, one in each hand. He brutally slashed at Sparrow with the sabers, but only one of the slashes made contact, making a small slash across Sparrow's cheek. Sparrow grimaced at the slash and replied by punching Kerigulus hard in the face, sending him plummeting down toward the burning lava in the volcano. Just before he reached the lava, he came to a stop, and swiped his hand across his forehead, a look of fear on his face.

__

"That was a close one," Kerigulus thought. _"What's wrong with Jekelai, sending me here? I'm no fire elemental... this kinda stuff was Pyretta's job, dammit!"_

"So, you like to play around fire, but you're scared to get burned?" Sparrow taunted. "Well then, you won't like this..."  
  
Sparrow pointed her arms down at Kerigulus and fired a scorching beam of flame at him. Kerigulus screamed and flew just out of the beam's path, as it hit the lava and made a huge explosion of fire. Some of the lava tossed upward from the explosion barely missed hitting Sailor Mercury, who was still dangling unconsciously above the smoldering crater.

"Dammit, I have to be careful..." Sparrow said quietly. Kerigulus floated up to Sparrow and laughed.

  
"That's right you'd better be careful... you wouldn't want to barbecue poor Sailor Mercury, would you? What would Sammy think?"

"I've had just about enough of you, Kerigulus," Sparrow said. She began to glow with a brilliant white light, and Kerigulus had to cover his eyes for several seconds.

"What's she doing?" he shouted. "That light is far too bright to-"

When the light disappeared from Sparrow's form, she looked almost exactly the same, except that she had slightly longer hair, and now sported two large, prominent fangs where her front teeth used to be. 

"What the heck?" Kerigulus said, confused by Sparrow's transformation. "What did you-"

  
"Did Jekelai ever tell you I was a shapeshifter?"  


"Yes, but-"

Suddenly, Kerigulus was cut off, as Sparrow teleported behind him and sank her powerful fangs into his neck. The mercenary went pale, and then fainted, his drained body plummeting to the lava below and burning to cinders. Sparrow detransformed and licked her lips, cleaning Kerigulus' blood from her mouth.

"Guess Jekelai didn't tell him I could become a vampire. Well, it's too late for him, isn't it?"

Suddenly, another loud rumbling shook the ground below Sparrow, and plumes of lava shot forth from the crater, one of the plumes narrowly missing Sailor Mercury. Sparrow knew that she had to act fast. 

"I've gotta get Ami out of here!"

  
Sparrow flew over to the chains around Sailor Mercury's wrists and tugged at them as hard as she could. Sure enough, they disappeared, sending the unconscious Senshi plummeting. With incredible speed, Sparrow flew down and caught Sailor Mercury in her arms, protectively clutching her as she flew up out of the now-erupting volcano. As the large volcano erupted, the other volcanoes began to erupt as well, and the sky was filled with lava and deadly, poisonous gas.

__

"I'd better teleport," Sparrow thought to herself. "Unnh... those last couple of battles and that transformation really wore me out... I hope I have enough strength left..."

---

Sammy came at Jekelai again, who formed a large, glowing energy sword in his right hand to parry Sammy's slashes. The two warriors swung at each other, and the swords clashed, sending off a large energy shockwave that made a loud booming noise as it slammed into Jekelai's purple barrier.

  
"That's the sword you killed Neihiliam with," Sammy said.

  
"And saved your pathetic friend's life," Jekelai replied. "I'm beginning to think that was a mistake!"

  
The two swords clashed again, creating another large shockwave. Jekelai leapt back, into the air, and pointed his arm at Sammy.

"I tire of this!" Jekelai shouted. "Ami should be dead by now... where is that CRYSTAL?"

Before Sammy could move, a huge bolt of black lightning fell from the sky and slammed into Sammy, sending him immediately to his knees. The lightning continued to shock Sammy, and he began to scream out in pain, his energy aura the only thing saving him from certain death. He gripped the handle of his sword and slowly tried to stand, but the power of the lightning was too much for Sammy to handle, and he fell to his knees again. Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus gasped as the powerful lightning bolt surged through Sammy, and by now, all three of them were in tears. Jekelai began to laugh mercilessly as Sammy futilely struggled to stand.

"You... won't beat me... you won't... hurt Ami!!!" Sammy shouted, before screaming again as the lightning bolt intensified further.

"I will now show you the fate of your pathetic Ami!" Jekelai said, opening up the tiny portal again to display his fiery pocket dimension to Sammy. "WATCH AS SHE DIES!"

"NO!" Sammy cried out, tears streaming down his face as the lightning bolt pinned him on his knees to the floor. _"Ami... I failed you..."_

Sparrow dove out of the gate, protectively clutching Sailor Mercury in her arms. She slammed into the floor behind Sammy, and the portal disappeared in a brilliant flash of light. Jekelai couldn't believe his eyes, and as his attention turned to Sparrow and Sailor Mercury, the lightning bolt shocking Sammy disappeared, and Sammy was finally able to stand, the black energy aura still engulfing his heavily bruised body.

"Ami... I don't believe it!" Sammy shouted, running past Sparrow and wrapping his arms around Sailor Mercury's unconscious form. "Oh my gosh, Sparrow, you... you saved her... how can I ever-"

  
"Don't mention it," Sparrow said, smiling at Sammy, and then turning back toward Jekelai, her smile disappearing. 

"You bitch!" Jekelai shouted, his teeth clenched in rage. "You ruined... you ruined EVERYTHING! I was seconds away from getting the Dark Crystal out of that child's weak little body, and-"

  
"And you didn't..." Sparrow said weakly, her voice starting to fade. "And now... I'm... I'm going to... destroy..."

  
Sparrow collapsed to the floor, unconscious. After a day of fighting, rebuilding, and rescuing, Sparrow could take no more. As she lay passed out on the floor, a victorious smile overtook Jekelai's face, and he began to walk menacingly toward Sammy and Sailor Mercury.

"Ami, please... please wake up..." Sammy sobbed. "Please tell me you're okay..."

But Sailor Mercury did not awaken, because unlike last time, she had barely any energy left. But though she was unconscious, she had the strength to smile, and she could hear Sammy's words, deep within her mind. She gave Sammy the tiniest of smiles, and that was all he needed.

"Ami... I love you," Sammy whispered, gently caressing his unconscious lover's face. "I'll protect you until we can get somewhere safe, okay?"

But Jekelai had other plans. With a powerful blow from the back of his arm, Jekelai knocked Sammy away from Sailor Mercury, and sent him flying, until he landed on his face just a few feet away from her unconscious body. He climbed up onto one knee and gasped as Jekelai stood over Sailor Mercury, an energy sword raised above her chest. 

"Sailor Mercury, no!" Sailor Mars shouted, observing helplessly from outside the purple energy barrier. "We've got to do something!"

  
"Sailor Moon is still out," Sailor Jupiter said, kneeling over the Moon Senshi's body. 

"There's gotta be a way to save Ami!" Sailor Venus yelled. "This is really bad..."

"That Dark Crystal has to come out now!" Jekelai said. Sammy tried to stand up, but intense pain forced him back onto one knee, and he realized that he was helpless to save Ami's life.

"AMI!"

From deep within Sammy's body, a huge amount of dark energy rushed, quickly engulfing Sammy's entire body, pain stabbing outward wherever the energy touched. But it didn't matter. All of the anguish in Sammy's heart and soul drowned out this new pain, and all that Sammy could feel was incredible power. His feet began to lift up off of the ground, and as Jekelai's sword plunged down toward Sailor Mercury's chest, Sammy hit Jekelai like a freight train. A pain that Jekelai had never felt before, not even at the hands of Sparrow, surged through his body, and Sammy charged forward, slamming Jekelai back into the purple energy barrier and shattering it, plunging him all the way back into the wall with incredible force. A huge explosion of energy lit up around Sammy and Jekelai, and then an intense silence fell over the gym as the dust began to settle. Sailor Mars immediately rushed to the center of the gym to check on Sailor Mercury and Sparrow, waving the other two Senshi on to the other side of the gym to check on Sammy.

"Go, see if Sammy's okay!" Sailor Mars shouted, and the two Senshi nodded and rushed toward the huge cloud of smoke that had formed after the explosion. But before they even got to the pile of rubble made by the blast, which easily took out the half of Ami's school behind the gym, Sammy crawled out of the rubble himself, slowly inching his way toward the center of the gym... to Ami. The dark aura around his body had disappeared, and the only thought on his mind was getting to Ami, at any cost.

"Sammy, you shouldn't be crawling on the ground like that," Sailor Jupiter said. "You're badly hurt..."

"I don't care..." Sammy said, making his way along the heavily-damaged floor. "I want... to be... with Ami..."

Jekelai continued to lay at the bottom of the rubble pile, and as he started to climb out, an intense wave of pain overtook his body. He let out a weak, anguished growl, and then, with the last of his strength, teleported back to his palace, unseen by the Senshi.

"Sammy, you... you just kicked Jekelai's butt!" Sailor Venus said, unaware that Jekelai wasn't really dead. "One punch, you..."

But Sammy continued to ignore the Senshi. He crawled over to Sailor Mercury and then stopped next to her at a perpendicular angle to her body, his head next to hers. She opened her eyes for a few seconds and turned toward Sammy, who looked up at her and opened his eyes as wide as he could. For the first time that day, he could truly feel joy.

"I love you too, Sammy," she whispered, before fading once more into unconsciousness. Sammy leaned over her and gently kissed her on the lips. Then, he too fell away into blissful sleep. 

"We'd better hurry and get them back to the shrine..." Sailor Mars said, looking at the other two Senshi. "I'll carry Sailor Moon..."

"I can carry two of them... Sammy and Ami," Sailor Jupiter said.

"And I guess that leaves me with Sparrow," Sailor Venus replied. "Well... I guess we'd better go then... we've got a long walk ahead of us..."

The three Senshi picked up their unconscious friends and slowly trudged out of the ruined school, hoping that the day of carnage was finally over.

---

Jekelai had one last stop to make before going back to his palace. He teleported to the roof of Crossroads Junior High, where Mikhail lay slumped against the wall, the only living being on the premises. Intensely weak and injured from his fight against Sammy, Jekelai slowly walked up to Mikhail and started to kick him to wake him up. But Mikhail was already awake, floating up away from Jekelai's half-hearted kick and then back down to the roof's surface, looking up into Jekelai's eyes.

"How did it go?" Mikhail asked. "Did you-"

"I was... this close..." Jekelai said, holding his fingers a fraction of an inch apart. "All that power... and the Dark Crystal still remains within the boy! I didn't extract it at all, but..."

"But what?" Mikhail asked, curiously.

"Can't you see?" Jekelai shouted, indicating his badly beaten body. "That Crystal... took nearly all of my strength with one mighty burst of energy... and yet... it refuses to come out!"

"Did you kill Ami?" Mikhail asked.

  
"No... and that's the problem," Jekelai said. "I've killed no one at all close to the boy. I've damaged and injured all of his friends, but I haven't been able to kill anyone, except for a few of Ami's pathetic classmates."

"That's too bad," Mikhail said slyly.

"How about you, Mikhail?" Jekelai asked. "Have you... gained the boy's trust?"

"Thanks to you, I'm his new best friends... his old ones won't speak to him," Mikhail said, a smile crossing his face.

"While I am recovering, this entire mission shifts to you, Mikhail," Jekelai said. "You will NOT fail me."

  
"I will not fail you, my lord," Mikhail said.

"Allow the boy a day to rest... the Crystal must be at full strength before it can be most effectively extracted," Jekelai said. "But tomorrow... tomorrow... tomorrow, make his pathetic life a living hell."

"I will do that and far more, my lord," Mikhail replied. "And then, the Crystal will be yours, my lord."  


A portal appeared behind Jekelai.

"Do _not _fail me, Mikhail," Jekelai said. He stepped back, and the portal closed and disappeared, leaving Sammy's treacherous 'friend' Mikhail standing alone on the roof, as the cold winter winds began to whip around him.

---

Finally, an end to the day of bad guys attacking schools! What was that, three or four chapters? ^_^ Only six chapters remain, and trust me, they'll be intense! Very intensely intense! So please intensely review, okay?


	16. Deadly Accuracy

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

Reviews: 

GracedAngel: Yup, Mikhail is the enemy... and I'm glad you liked Sparrow Crystal Power... hee, my friend did too... ^_^ Well, thanks for reviewing!

Sparrow Migoto: Glad you enjoyed the fights... and the jokes... and all the other stuff. ^_^ I just hope you enjoy everything your character does this chapter!

The Review Guy: Sparrow's only as strong as my friend tells me to make her... which is pretty strong. _ Don't worry though, I'm trying not to make her TOO powerful.

Happygolucky111: Hee, thank you very much for reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Brian, the Warrior Of Time: You really think they're THAT bad? Yipes... and trust me, they'll get even more evil this chapter. ^_^

---

By the time the three exhausted Senshi had managed to carry Sammy, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Moon, and Sparrow back to Rei's temple, Sparrow had already awoken, and she quickly made the others aware of that fact.

"Please set me down gently..." Sparrow said, causing Sailor Venus to gasp, startled.

"Um... okay," Sailor Venus said, gently setting Sparrow down on her back on a large blanket that had been placed on the floor. "Are you alright? It looks like your wounds are healing nicely..."

"That's good," Sparrow replied, smiling and sitting up. "And how are the others?"

"Should be okay soon," Sailor Mars said as she placed Sailor Moon on the blanket next to Sailor Mercury and Sammy. "Sailor Moon fainted because she was scared, so she should be waking up in a few seconds... Sammy and Sailor Mercury are the ones I'm worried about. They're both injured, perhaps seriously."

Sparrow crawled over to Sammy and Sailor Mercury and placed her hands over both of their foreheads. 

"I wouldn't, Sparrow," Sailor Jupiter said, gently grabbing one of Sparrow's wrists. "That's how you passed out the last time... overexerting yourself."

  
"I'm not going to heal them completely," Sparrow said. "I'm going to heal them enough so that they'll be okay for certain, and so they won't be in agony when they wake up... alright?"

Sailor Jupiter nodded and stepped away from Sparrow, allowing her to do her work. Her hands began to glow with energy, and they continued to glow for several seconds as her healing magic began repairing the battered bodies of her two friends. Finally, she stood up, looking down at Sammy and Sailor Mercury, whose wounds immediately seemed not quite as severe as they had just a few seconds earlier. The three Senshi smiled.

"That should be enough," Sparrow said. "Their bodies will do the rest..."

"Let's go check on the fire," Sailor Mars said, turning to Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter, and Sparrow. "If there are any more of those creeps around, we'll need to take care of them... and quickly."

"I'll take care of these two first," Sailor Venus said, kneeling down next to Sammy and Sailor Mercury. "You guys go on ahead... Nurse Venus has to work."

  
Venus smiled, and Sailor Mars groaned for a second before giving a resigning sigh and turning toward the back room with the others.

---

About a half-hour later, Sparrow, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus were sitting in the back room in a circle, serenely sipping tea. Sailor Mars hadn't found anything by consulting the fire, and now the girls were just waiting for their friends to wake up. At that moment, Sammy and Ami, now detransformed from her Sailor Mercury state, walked into the room. The two seemed completely fine, though the minor bandaging on their faces, arms, and legs indicated that their wounds still needed time to heal, although, thanks to Sparrow's healing, they weren't nearly as severe as they originally were. Sparrow and Sailor Mars scooted over to give the two room to join the circle, and they did, sitting down and smiling at the others.

"Hey, guys... I'm really glad to see you're okay!" Sailor Jupiter said. "Do you feel alright?"

"Uh huh!" Sammy said cheerfully, nodding his head. 

"I put the bandages on," Sailor Venus said, "but you can thank me later!"

"I'll thank you now," Ami replied. "Thank you... all of you. Was it you that brought us here?"

"Yeah," Sailor Mars said. "Jupiter carried two of you...."

"You're both really light, so it was no problem, really!" Sailor Jupiter said, smiling over at Sammy and Ami. "We carried Sparrow here too... she didn't wake up until we got here!"

"And what about Sailor Moon?" Sailor Venus asked. "She's still asleep?"

"Uh huh," Sammy said. "Ami was going to wake her up, but I told her not too... Serena gets really cranky when people wake her up. So we're just gonna let her sleep until she wakes up herself!"

"Figures," Sailor Mars grumbled under her breath. "Well, Sammy... you should be really proud of yourself!"

"Mm-hmm," Sailor Jupiter said. "You took out Jekelai, all by yourself!"

"And with one hit, even!" Sailor Venus said. "Completely wiped out, off the face of the-"

  
"He's not dead!" Sparrow shouted angrily, rising to her feet. "I don't care what any of you saw, but if you think Jekelai is dead, then you're all fools! Naive fools!"

"Hey, now," Sailor Mars said, rising to face Sparrow. "You were knocked out the whole time, so you couldn't see what happened, but Sammy got this really powerful attack, and he-"

"Did you actually see him die?" Sparrow asked. "Did you see his body?"

  
"No, but... but he was buried in rubble!" Sailor Mars said. "And he got out last time, but this time, he didn't! We were there for several minutes, and-"

  
"He teleported away then," Sparrow said, walking toward the door. "I can sense him... he's still out there, somewhere. The evil is still out there!"

"Sparrow, please," Ami said, walking over to Sparrow and gently trying to calm her down. "We know that there are still more villains out there... and there _is _a possibility that Jekelai is still alive-"

  
"Not a possibility, it's a guaranteed, 100% sure thing!" Sparrow shouted, pushing Ami backward with a surprising amount of force. "And I'm not going to stay here and let more innocent people die! I'm going to beat Jekelai myself, once and for all!"

As Ami stumbled back from the force of Sparrow's push, her still-slightly weak legs could not sustain the force from walking back so quickly, and Ami began to trip and fall backward, letting out a quick, but loud scream. Sammy lunged forward and caught her, gently steadying her back up onto her feet. Sparrow briefly turned back for a second, then continued briskly walking out the door. Sammy ran into the other room and began shouting at Sparrow.

"Dammit, Sparrow, Ami could have been hurt!" Sammy shouted. "How _dare _you push her like that! She didn't even do anything!"

"I said I was sorry," Sparrow muttered, coldly and quietly. As soon as she was out the door, she flew off into the sky, toward the rapidly setting sun.

"Sammy, I'm alright," Ami said, quickly walking over and hugging Sammy as he turned around. "Don't be angry with Sparrow... she didn't do anything..."

"You're right, Ami... Sparrow didn't mean to push you or hurt you," Sammy said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "And she's right about Jekelai... I know I hit him hard, but... somewhere, somehow, he's still alive..."

"All of those people..." Sailor Mars said, bowing her head. "Ami, we're so sorry... Jekelai killed so many of your classmates... we couldn't get there in time..."

"No... no, you aren't the ones to blame," Ami said, hugging Sammy tighter as she struggled not to cry. "We have to stop Jekelai... for good... before he hurts anyone else...."

  
"Before he hurts you, Ami..." Sammy said quietly. "I won't let him... I won't let him..."

"None of us can go back to school until Jekelai's been defeated," Sailor Jupiter said. "I don't want any of my friends to become targets."

  
"Ami, are you... are you okay with that?" Sammy asked, slowly breaking off the hug and looking straight into Ami's eyes.

"So much damage was caused to my school, I don't think anyone will be able to go there for a while anyway," Ami said, using her finger to wipe a tear away from her eye. "And by the time I actually can go back, Jekelai will be defeated... I know he will be!"

"We'll all beat him, together!" Sailor Mars said with determination. "Right, guys?"

"Right!" said Sammy, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus. "The Sailor Senshi always win!"

Just then, Sailor Moon let out a loud yawn as she sat up on the blanket, her arms raised high above her head as she stretched out her limbs. She looked around and saw everyone else staring at her.

"Did I... miss anything?" Sailor Moon asked sleepily. "Oh, Sammy, you're alright... that's great! What happened, was everything a dream?"

"No, sis..." Sammy said. "None of it was a dream... but... we're all okay. I defeated Jekelai, and we're all okay."

"That's great, Sammy..." Sailor Moon said, wearily standing up and giving her brother a tight hug, then flopping back down on the blanket and detransforming back into Serena. "Wake me up in the morning for school, okay, Sammy?"

Sammy sighed as Serena went back to sleep, knowing that she was both physically and emotionally exhausted from all the events of the day. 

__

"Sleep well, sis..." Sammy thought. _"I'll protect you along with Ami..."_

---

When Serena awoke again, she was lying on her bed, in her room. The clock next to her bed read "10:30" in bright, red letters.

"10:30 in the morning?" Serena asked, rubbing her eyes. When she gazed out the window of her room, all she saw was darkness. That's when the door to her room opened, and Darien walked in, along with Serena's parents.

"Serena, thank goodness you're alright..." Darien said, leaning over and kissing Serena on the forehead. "I'm so sorry I didn't get to the battles in time... all of them..."

  
"That's okay, Darien," Serena said, returning his kiss by gently kissing him on the lips. "Where were you, though?"

  
"My university class was taking a sightseeing field trip in Osaka... but as soon as I heard about what happened in Tokyo, I rushed here as quickly as I could..."

"Your friends brought you here, Serena," said Serena's mother. "They said you were tired from all the fighting you did and that you just wanted to sleep."

  
"Don't worry about Sammy, either," said Serena's father. "He and Ami are off at the movies... it's past Sammy's bedtime right now, but he's had a rough day, so we're letting him go out with Ami late tonight. I'm just glad you're all safe and sound..."

"Mom, Dad, Darien... they... they attacked because of us," Sailor Moon said softly. "It's... it's all our fault... they burned the house last night because of us too... they-"

"Shh," Darien said, gently putting his finger to Serena's lips. "It's all over for now..."

"Oh yes, that's right... we haven't been able to thank Sparrow for fixing the house..." Serena's mother said, looking around. "Everything's been completely restored, like the fire never happened... where is Sparrow, anyway?"

"I'm not sure..." Serena whispered, having still been asleep during the altercation between Sparrow and her friends. "Didn't she bring me here?"

"We didn't see her," Serena's mother said. "But wherever she is, we owe her a great debt of gratitude..."

"And I'm glad you're safe, Serena... you and Sammy, and your friends," Darien said, kissing Serena on the lips. "Good night, my moon princess... I love you.... sweet dreams."

"Goodnight.... mom... dad.... Darien..."

And then, Serena once more slipped blissfully into slumber.

---

A few blocks away, Sammy and Ami stood in the lobby of the movie theater, saying their goodbyes for the evening.

"Goodnight, Ami..." Sammy said. "I had a really wonderful evening."

"It was wonderful," Ami replied, smiling at Sammy and looking into his eyes as she gently held his hand. "I... I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

  
Sammy nodded.

  
"I'm sorry again... about... everyone at your school," Sammy said. "Maybe once we beat Jekelai, there'll be a way to bring them all back."

  
"I hope so, Sammy," Ami said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I really hope so..."

Sammy and Ami gently embraced, and then closed their eyes, gently allowing their lips to meet for a passionate kiss. None of it mattered now, the battles, the near-death experiences, the deaths of Ami's classmates... because Sammy and Ami knew that as long as their love survived, everything would come together again on the glorious day when the evil could finally be defeated.... and they both knew that day would come soon.

---

Sparrow hovered over downtown Tokyo, having scoured the entire city over the past few hours in her frantic search for Jekelai. With a frustrated sigh, she slowly floated down into an empty alleyway.

"He's nowhere in the city...." Sparrow grumbled to herself. "Damn Jekelai... the coward must have gone back to his palace to recover from his wounds... I haven't recovered enough to teleport there, but I could take the spacepod... I can't let him hurt anyone else again, he has to pay for everyone else he's hurt... he has to pay for everything he's done to me!"

---

__

Sparrow cried out as the tight, metal chains bit into her flesh, securing her wrists to the front of the bed that Jekelai had placed in her room. Her legs had been chained to the other end of the bed, and that, combined with the powerful Ultinius seal on her forehead, rendered her completely helpless as Jekelai stood next to her, smiling. He caressed her face with his large, rough hand, and Sparrow clenched her fists, seething with intense rage as she knew she was helpless to stop Jekelai.

"Let me go... right now... you bastard!" Sparrow growled through clenched teeth in a futile appeal.

"You know I can't do that, my darling Sparrow... you've not cooperated at all today. How am I supposed to make you a strong mercenary if you keep... disobeying... every... word... I... SAY!"

As Jekelai spoke those last few words, he struck Sparrow in the face as he said each one, his strikes becoming progressively more severe each time. Jekelai leaned over Sparrow, looking down at her face, stained in tears and blood. A sick smile appeared on his lips, and Sparrow resigned herself to her fate.

"I will enjoy this... and in good time, you will enjoy it too..."

---

__

"I thought I would lose my innocence that night..." Sparrow thought. _"But Jekelai could never go through with it... something stopped him... each time, something in his mind seemed to tell him to stop hurting me... why did he stop, every single time? Maybe the question should be, why can he stop hurting me, but not stop hurting everyone else! BASTARD!"_

Suddenly, before Sparrow could walk out of the alley, a hand clasped over her lips, and a sharp object was pressed to her neck from behind. Before Sparrow could scream, she could feel a sharp sting across her neck. Then, whatever was holding her disappeared, and she fell on her knees to the ground below, trembling slightly. She reached up and felt her neck... no blood.

"The... the hell?" Sparrow stammered, slowly rising to her feet. "Who-"

"Sparrow," came a low, male voice from the shadows, beckoning her closer. "You are looking for Jekelai, yes? You have no need to... not now... you're nothis target anyway, not yet. That's why I didn't kill you, even when I could have."

"You couldn't have killed me anyway," Sparrow growled. "Even if you had cut me, it would have healed."

  
"Perhaps I should actually do it, and we can find out, Sparrow Migoto..."

A tall, boyish figure with black hair stepped out of the shadows. He appeared to be about fourteen, close to Sammy's age, and he was wearing a blue sweater with jeans. He gave the appearance of one of Sammy's classmates, and in fact, he was.

"My name is Mikhail, and the day of reckoning has arrived," Mikhail said coldly. "By the end of the day, the Dark Crystal will emerge... I am a prophet, Sparrow. I know these things."

"And you're also dead meat!" Sparrow shouted, unsheathing her katana. "If you work for Jekelai, you must be killed! I will not allow any more innocent people to be hurt!"

"Shouldn't you be going after Jekelai, instead of smallfrys like me? And... you're supposed to be honorable anyway, Sparrow. Jekelai's still recovering from his wounds. You wouldn't attack an injured man, one who can't possibly fight at 100% full strength, would you?"

  
"Jekelai only dealt with me when my powers were blocked, and I was chained like an animal," Sparrow said, intense rage in her voice. "I will afford him with the same honor with which he treated me. But only after killing you first!"

  
Sparrow lunged at Mikhail, who flew up into the air to escape Sparrow's attack.

"Sparrow, I have no business with you!" Mikhail shouted down at her. "You will get what is coming to you when the time is right!"

Mikhail disappeared into a black energy gate, which quickly closed behind him as Sparrow leapt up into the air to give pursuit. As Mikhail disappeared, Sparrow cursed angrily and floated back down into the dark alleyway.

"Damn coward!" Sparrow shouted. _"Is what he said really true? Is the Dark Crystal really going to emerge today? And why does that name Mikhail sound familiar... I must sleep on this... hopefully, no innocent people will be hurt while I slumber."_

Sparrow ran out of the busy downtown area and headed back toward Juuban... to her spacepod... and to the solace of sleep.

---

The next morning, Sammy awoke to a loud ringing noise coming from the phone on the floor next to his bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then leaned over to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Sammy said, half-yawning.

"Sammy!" came Rick's familiar voice on the other end of the conversation. "Guess what? You're not gonna believe this!"

"They fixed the school?" Sammy asked.

"Tch... no, they won't have it fixed up for a month! We'll be going to a big building for school starting next week with the students at the other schools that got wrecked... hey, maybe you'll get to see Ami!"

"I hope so," Sammy said sleepily. _"And I hope we beat Jekelai by then..." _

"Anyway, what I called to tell you is this. You know that museum they're building, to honor the Sailor Senshi?" Rick asked. 

"Yeah... that won't be up until next week," Sammy said. "I can't wait to go there and see all the neat stuff about-"

  
"I know, I know, Ami, right? Well, anyway, it's already finished, and they're opening it up today especially for tour groups. Your teacher, Miss Haruna, set up a tour for kids from her class and the other classes in our grade so that we'll get to see it! You'll have to get there yourself, but you know where it is, right?"

  
"Just a few blocks away from my house, next to the movie theater me and Ami went to last night!" Sammy said excitedly. "I'll be right over there! You and Mika are coming too, right?"

"Of course we are!" Rick said. "She called me and told me to tell you since she couldn't get through to your number the first time... phone was busy."

  
"Probably my sis talking to Darien," Sammy groaned. "I'll be right there!"

Sammy said goodbye to Rick, then swiftly hung up the phone and got dressed in a white sweatshirt and blue jeans, then put on his sneakers and ran out the door. Right before he left, however, he picked up his sword and put it in the concealing pocket that he'd cut into his blue jeans, just in case.

__

"I really hope I don't need this today..." Sammy thought.

---

When Sammy got to the museum, a colorful, two story building with a large sign on the roof that had all of the Sailor Senshi painted on it, many students from his class were already there, including Mei-Lin and Mikhail. Mei-Lin smiled at Sammy as he walked over to her, and from the look on her face, she looked like she had recovered from the terrifying events of the previous day.

  
"Hey, Mei-Lin," Sammy said. "Are you okay? After yesterday and everything that happened?"  


"I'm just glad you're safe, Sammy..." Mei-Lin said, wrapping her arms around Sammy's back and hugging him. "This is going to be a pretty fun day, isn't it? Definitely better than yesterday!"

"I'll say," Mikhail said, turning to Sammy. "It's good to see you're doing well..."

  
"How about you?" Sammy asked him. "That monster hit you pretty hard yesterday, are you-"

  
"Just fine!" Mikhail said, smiling again. 

"Sammy!" shouted Mika, running over to Sammy and closely followed by Rick. "It's great to see you again!"

"It's a good thing I was able to get a hold of you, Sammy... this place is supposed to be really cool, and I don't wanna miss anything... you don't either, right, Sammy?" Rick asked.

  
"Nope!" Sammy said, shaking his head. "Let's go!"

The crowd of students walked up to the door, where Miss Haruna was waiting with several tour guides.

"Alright, let's get started, everyone!" Miss Haruna said. "You'll need to pair up in groups of five... and if you do this quickly and quietly I won't do it for you..."

"Well, it looks like we already have our group," Mikhail said, looking around at Sammy, Rick, Mika, and Mei-Lin. "If... that's alright with all of you."

  
"Sure is!" Sammy said, smiling. Rick and Mika nodded.

  
"That went really well!" Mei-Lin said. "And I guess that means we should probably find a tour guide..."

The five teens walked over to the front of the museum, where a pretty female tour guide dressed in a sailor fuku greeted them. The tour guide was wearing an outfit identical to one worn by one of the Sailor Senshi. This tour guide was wearing a Sailor Mercury outfit, and she wore a wig as well, to fit the part. 

"She's not nearly as pretty as the real Sailor Mercury," Sammy whispered to Rick and Mika, who laughed quietly.

"Shall we begin?" the tour guide said in a friendly voice. "Right this way, everyone!"

---

Meanwhile, Serena, Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina were enjoying their day off by taking a walk around the park. It was unseasonably warm, and the snow that had accumulated in the park over the last few days had begun to melt, creating a wet slush that lined the park's pathways.

"Snow always looks better when it's really cold outside," Serena said. "It gets really yucky when it melts..."

"It's really nice out today, though," Ami said. "I'm really loving this warm weather! I wonder how Sammy's doing today..."

"Sammy said he was going to that new Sailor Senshi museum they've just opened," Serena said. 

"Isn't that supposed to be closed?" Mina asked.

"Yeah, but they've opened it up for tour groups a few days early," Serena said. "So Sammy and his friends from school are going to be there for the day. I just hope he'll be alright..."

"A Sailor Senshi museum would be a good place for the Negaverse to strike," Rei said.

  
"Well then, it's a good thing we're dealing with Jekelai, and not with the Negaverse," Mina replied. "But Serena's right... maybe we should head down there and make sure everything's alright."

  
"As long as Andrew's not anywhere near the museum," Lita remarked. "You know what happened last time."

"Hey, that's ancient history now!" Mina snapped. "And besides, Andrew's in college, remember? We won't get sidetracked again."

"Then we're going to the Senshi museum?" Ami asked.

The other four girls nodded.

---

Back at the museum...  


"Hey, why's the Sailor Mercury exhibit closed?" Sammy asked, pointing to a large, blue room with Sailor Mercury memorabilia decorating the interior. The room's entrance was roped shut with a large 'CLOSED' sign hanging in front of it.

"That exhibit isn't quite done yet," said the tour guide. "I'm sorry... are you a big Sailor Mercury fan?"

"You bet I am!" Sammy said. "In fact, I- _whoa, Mikhail and Mei-Lin don't know about Ami's identity... better stop there._"

"In fact you what?" Mei-Lin asked. "You don't have a crush on her, do you? Silly Sammy, I thought Ami was your girlfriend!"

__

"They're one in the same," Mikhail thought, smiling deviously. _"And this is the perfect opportunity to bring out the Dark Crystal..."_

"I'm sorry, but when the museum opens you'll be able to come back and see the exhibit, okay?" said the tour guide sweetly. "She's my favorite Senshi too... that's why I took this job! She's smart, and nice-"

"And sweet, and funny, and wonderful, and-"

"Sammy?" Rick said, waving his hand in front of his friend's face. "You're zoning out, buddy."

  
The tour guide giggled.

  
"Let's go to the Sailor Mars exhibit next, okay?" said the tour guide, leading Sammy and the others on to the next exhibit. Mikhail, however, stayed behind. He looked both directions to see if someone was coming, and then slipped under the rope blocking off the Sailor Mercury exhibit. Sammy looked back and gasped as he saw Mikhail trespassing in the exhibit, and quietly walked over to him. 

"Mikhail, what are you doing?" Sammy whispered. "We're not allowed in here! I want to see Sailor Mercury too, but-"

"Then why don't you come in here with me?" Mikhail asked. "C'mon, Sammy... it'll be lots of fun!"

"But Mikhail..."

  
"C'mon, Sammy!" Mikhail said, taking a few steps into the room and waving at Sammy to come inside. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"We could... get in trouble," Sammy said. _"Maybe Mikhail is right... I need to do this, I've done stuff like this before... but Ami wouldn't do something like this. What would happen if I got caught? I can't do this, I can't!"_

But as Sammy began to turn away, he could hear Mikhail reading from some of the signs posted in the exhibit.

"Sailor Mercury is the most intelligent of the Sailor Senshi," Mikhail read. "Her wisdom and intelligence is critical to the success of the Senshi's battle techniques."

"Mikhail, stop!" Sammy ordered sternly, walking under the rope and entering the exhibit. "We need to leave, before we get into trouble!"

"But Sammy, look at this place!" Mikhail said. "They've got so much stuff here... a replica of her Sailor costume, her transformation staff... real footage from her battles, it's all here!"

Mikhail walked up to one of the TVs that was showing one of Sailor Mercury's fights, recorded off of a video surveillance camera outside a store that had been attacked by a youma. Sailor Mercury was on the screen, blasting the youma with an Aqua Rhapsody attack.

  
"This fight sucks, I wanna change it," Mikhail said, pressing one of the buttons on the TV.

__

"Mikhail isn't usually like this..." Sammy thought. _"What's gotten into-"_

A bright spark and a loud booming noise emanated from the back of the TV. Mikhail gasped as the TV flashed off and smoke began to pour out of it.

  
"Oops," Mikhail said nervously. "Uh... bye!"

Mikhail quickly ran out of the room and ducked under the rope blocking the entrance to the room. Incredibly, none of the people now running toward the room had witnessed Mikhail's daring escape, due to a tiny amount of magic he'd used to briefly conceal himself. The only thing the people saw when they looked into the room was Sammy, standing next to the broken television set.

"Sammy Tsukino, I'm disappointed in you!" Miss Haruna said, anger in her voice.

"But I didn't-"

"You broke one of our exhibits!" said a tour guide dressed to look like Sailor Mars. "How dare you trespass in here!"

"Sammy, I can't believe you'd do something like this..." Mei-Lin said.

  
"Whoa, way to go, Sammy!" Rick said, giving Sammy a thumbs-up before Mika shot him an angry glare.

"Sammy, I never thought you'd be so destructive on this field trip," Miss Haruna said, scolding Sammy as he dejectedly walked out of the exhibit. "I'm going to have to ask you to go home for the day, Sammy!"

  
"Miss Haruna, everyone, I didn't... I didn't do this! It was... it was..."

Sammy looked around the crowd, trying to find Mikhail amongst the angry-looking group of people. But Mikhail was nowhere to be found.

"Well, Sammy?" Miss Haruna snapped. "Who was it?"

Sammy sighed. Suddenly, he felt a large pain in his chest, and his hand immediately flew over his heart, as he started to grimace in pain.

__

"The Dark Crystal... it's taking a hold of me again..."

Sammy's eyes began stinging with tears. He angrily looked up at Miss Haruna, who continued to stare at Sammy with an angry look in her eyes.

"Sammy, go home!" Miss Haruna shouted.

"Fine!" Sammy shouted back, tears streaming down his face. "I didn't want to go on this dumb field trip anyway! I hate it, and I hate you, Miss Haruna! I wish you were DEAD!"

Sammy stomped out of the building, his rage now at a boiling point. Miss Haruna, and everyone else gasped at Sammy's tirade, and Miss Haruna's expression softened for a second, her hand briefly reaching out toward Sammy, as she entertained the thought of calling him back. Sammy walked down to the sidewalk and sat down. He buried his face in his hands and began to sob violently.

"What... what came over me?" Sammy cried. "How could I... how could I yell at Miss Haruna like that? My own teacher..."

Meanwhile, back inside the building, Miss Haruna continued to stand in front of the exhibit, looking sadly toward the entrance of the building.

__

"Why did Sammy go off at me like that?" she thought. _"Maybe he's just stressed out about what happened at the school yesterday... I've never seen Sammy like that before, he... he threatened my life... no, he'd never do that, it has to be something else..."_

"Do you want me to talk to Sammy?" Mei-Lin asked.

  
"Miss Haruna, he didn't mean that, really he didn't!" Mika pleaded. "And I don't think he broke that TV, either..."

  
"It looks like he's still out there," Rick said. "Should I go to him and-"

"No," Miss Haruna said, walking toward the women's restroom. "I need to think for a minute... I'll be back."

As Miss Haruna walked toward the restroom, Sammy's friends looked outside with intense worry.

"Sammy seems really upset," Rick said quietly. "I don't think it was him either, Mika.

"Me neither," Mika said. "Let's go out and talk to him... it's _definitely _not like Sammy to go off like that."

"Hey," Mei-Lin said, looking around the building. "Where's Mikhail?"

Miss Haruna stepped into the restroom. As soon as she did, the door behind her disappeared in a flash of black light, and Sammy's teacher gasped in shock.

  
"What's going on here?" Miss Haruna shrieked. 

"The beginning of the end, Haruna-sensei," came Mikhail's voice from behind her, causing Miss Haruna to turn around and gasp in frightened shock as she saw Mikhail, standing in front of one of the stalls with a smile on his face. "Your torture session begins now."

---

Meanwhile, Serena, Ami, Rei, Lita, and Mina were casually walking down the streets of Juuban, toward the Sailor Senshi museum.

"I'm beginning to wonder if there really anything to be worried about," Rei said. "I'm not sensing any evil..."

"Better safe than sorry," Serena said, keeping up her walking space. "Especially where my brother is concerned..."

  
Suddenly, a large explosion from down the street alerted the Senshi to the nearby mall, which was now engulfed in flames. They gasped, and quickly ducked into an alley to transform.

"They're attacking the mall!" Sailor Mercury shouted.

  
"Well, at least they're not attacking Sammy!" Sailor Moon said as the Senshi dashed toward the flaming mall.

---

Sammy sat outside the museum, still sobbing, even a full two minutes after he had been kicked out of the building.

__

"What is WRONG with me?" Sammy thought. _"Why am I still crying... why am I still angry?"_

Sammy stood up and turned back toward the museum.

"I have to go inside and apologize to Miss Haruna... I just hope she doesn't yell at me again..."

Sammy entered the museum. As soon as he went inside, Rick, Mika, and Mei-Lin immediately ran up to him with concerned looks on their faces.

  
"Hey, Sammy's crying..." Rick said, noticing the tears on Sammy's face.

  
"What's wrong?" Mika asked sweetly. "Sammy, are you okay?"

"You shouldn't be in here," Mei-Lin said. "You got kicked out, remember?"

"I know, I just... I want to apologize to Miss Haruna, where is she?" 

"In the restroom right now," Rick said. "You should wait outside... when she comes out, we'll-"

"I have to do it now," Sammy said, pushing past his friends and marching toward the restroom."

  
"You're not gonna go in there, are you?" Rick asked, putting his hand on Sammy's shoulder. "You're a dude, man! You can't go into the-"

  
"I'll wait outside for her," Sammy said, stopping in front of the restrooms and looking around. He saw the entrance to the men's restroom, but the entrance to the women's restroom was gone. "Eh? That's strange, the women's restroom isn't-"

And then, Sammy was engulfed by a bright flash of light. Rick, Mika, and Mei-Lin gasped and stepped back as Sammy disappeared into thin air.

"What happened?" Mika gasped.

"We need to go get one of the security guards or something, right now!" Rick shouted.

---

Sammy reappeared inside the women's restroom. There, lying on the floor in a pool of blood, was Miss Haruna. She had been badly beaten, and there were hundreds of tiny cuts all over her body, as well as a large slash across her neck. Sammy gasped and immediately knelt at his fallen teacher's side, his sobs sending tears streaming down onto Miss Haruna's body.

"Oh my God... I'm so sorry.... I'm sorry, Miss Haruna... I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything I said, I..."

  
"S...S....Sammy?" Miss Haruna said weakly, looking up at Sammy. She could barely open her eyes, and from the sound of her voice, it was clear that she could barely speak as well. She was hanging onto life by a thread.

"What happened... to you... Miss Haruna?" Sammy sobbed. 

"It's exactly what you wished for, Sammy," Mikhail said, stepping out of one of the stalls and walking over to the other side of Miss Haruna's body. "And you know what they say... be careful what you wish for... you just might get it. Actually, it looks like your precious Haruna-sensei is the one that... 'got it', so to speak."

Mikhail began to laugh viciously, and Sammy immediately stood up and faced him, pointing down at Miss Haruna's fallen form. 

"You... did this, didn't you?" Sammy shouted. "You're covered with her blood!"

"And how wonderful it was, Sammy... all of those screams, it was pure pleasure.... of course, it's your fault, Sammy," Mikhail said. "I am a prophet and a dream maker... you wished for this to happen, and I merely fulfilled your wish. Tell him, Haruna-sensei... tell Sammy how much you hate him for doing this to you. Tell him."

"SHUT UP!" Sammy shouted, lunging at Mikhail. "YOU VICIOUS MURDERER!"

But just before Sammy could reach Mikhail, a burst of energy blasted him back, into the wall at the other end of the room. He cried out as he hit the wall, but instead of slumping against it, he retained his balance and slowly walked back over to Miss Haruna, again kneeling by her side.

"Miss Haruna..." Sammy sobbed, tenderly clutching her hand. "I didn't mean... any of those things I said, Miss Haruna... you're my friend, you're my favorite teacher... I'm so sorry... it's all my fault... I'm sorry..."

With all of the strength left within her being, Miss Haruna weakly gripped Sammy's hand and looked up at him. A gentle smile appeared on her face.

"There's... nothing to feel sorry about.... Sammy... you didn't do this... none of this... I really did... like you, Sammy... you were my favorite student... you _and _your sister... class... wouldn't... have been the same... without-"

Mikhail plunged a large knife into Haruna's chest, violently cutting her off. 

"Geez, just going on and on... should've killed her _before _you got here."  


Sammy's fists clenched. His tears streamed down his face as his entire body filled up with an incredible pain... the pain of loss. Miss Haruna was one of Sammy's cherished friends... he remembered the way she smiled when he came into class, how she would tease him about assignments and tell stories about his sister... and now, none of those things could ever happen again. The familiar aura of dark energy surrounded Sammy as he faced Mikhail, standing at full-height, and stared straight into his treacherous former friend's eyes.

"I trusted you... you betrayed me... and you killed someone I loved!" Sammy shouted. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU, YOU BASTARD!"  
  
"And Ami's next," Mikhail said sadistically, a smile creeping across his face. "But that will be Jekelai's task. For now, I am to take you and force you to watch."

Sammy unsheathed his sword and faced down Mikhail, whose large, blood-covered knife was at the ready.

__

"He's going to pay..." Sammy thought. _"They're all going to pay..."_

---

Ouch. Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch.... poor Miss Haruna and poor Sammy! Mikhail has got him ticked off, but does he really know what he's getting into? I don't think so... five chapters left!


	17. I Desperately Need You

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

The five Senshi ran into the mall, completely unaware of the disaster that was occurring at the Sailor Senshi museum. They were completely focused on the task at hand, and they didn't have to wait long to figure out the source of the trouble.

"There's our mercenary, right there!" Sailor Mars shouted, pointing toward the center of the mall's front lobby.

There, hovering about ten feet off of the ground and nearly even with the second story of the mall, was a woman with a long, flowing brown dress and equally brown hair, with long arms, and hands at the end of those arms which were glowing with intense power. The source of the large pillar of fire and smoke was the ruins of a smoldering section of the food court, where several stores had been obliterated by the deadly mercenary. She looked down at the Senshi and began to laugh.

"You're right on schedule!" shouted the woman. "Kiragushi is my name, a name feared throughout the solar system... and you five will be my next victims!"

Kiragushi pointed her arms at the Senshi, and out of them flew five large, gray, tentacle-like appendages, two from her left hand and three from her right. The tentacles wrapped around the Senshi's midsections and picked them up, slamming them all to the ground, and then releasing the Senshi and retracting back into Kiragushi's hands. The five Senshi had been slammed into the hard linoleum floor. As the Senshi groaned in pain and rose to their feet, they noticed screaming people running for their lives past the Senshi, toward the exits of the mall.

"We'd better hurry," Sailor Mercury said quietly as she struggled to stand. "Or innocent people could get hurt..."

  
"Most of them are leaving," Sailor Jupiter replied, relief evident in her voice. "But you're right, Mercury... there are still a few people here in danger, and we have to destroy this fiend!"

Kiragushi began to laugh, and pointed her arms at the Senshi again.

"You'll do nothing of the sort!" Kiragushi shouted. "Didn't you hear me before? My name is FEARED!"

Hundreds of glowing, dark red specks of energy rushed out of Kiragushi's hands and fell upon the Senshi, slamming into both them and the ground at high speed. The tiny specks released their surprisingly large amounts of energy on impact, and the terrified Senshi were quickly engulfed in the large explosion that resulted, drowning out their screams. 

---

Sparrow blinked open her eyes and stepped out of her space pod, yawning and extending her arms above her head.

"That was... a wonderful rest," Sparrow said, smiling as brightly as the sun that was shining down on her tanned skin. "I wonder what time it is? I should probably begin my hunt for Jekelai again..."

Sparrow walked out of the clearing of trees and onto the street in front of Serena's house. She smiled as soon as she set eyes on her friend's home, and was happy that she wouldn't have to repair it a second day in a row.

__

"Maybe I should apologize to Serena and Sammy before going out to look for Jekelai again..." Sparrow thought, remembering the previous night's confrontation. She walked across the street, waving at people she saw walking down the sidewalk. _"Humans are so much friendlier in this dimension... I guess it's because they've never seen a shapeshifter demon before..."_

Sparrow walked up to the Tsukino house and rang the doorbell. Almost immediately, the door opened, and Mrs. Tsukino smiled, beckoning Sparrow to come inside the house.

"Oh, is Serena home?" Sparrow asked as she stepped into the Tsukinos' living room.

"She went out to the park with her friends," said Mr. Tsukino from one of the adjacent rooms. "She should be back pretty soon..."

"Would you like to wait here?" Mrs. Tsukino asked in a friendly voice. Sparrow smiled, and then gently shook her head.

"No, no thank you..." Sparrow said kindly. "I'll just go to the park myself... but thank you for offering, Mrs. Tsukino!"

"You're welcome, Sparrow," she replied. "By the way... I haven't properly thanked you for restoring our house... Serena told me all about you, you're the new Sailor Senshi, aren't you?"  


Sparrow giggled and nodded, then looked down and realized she was wearing her same sailor fuku outfit from yesterday.

"Um... yeah!" Sparrow said. "Sailor Sparrow, Senshi of restoration and replenishment!"  


"How nice!" Mrs. Tsukino said. "Well, you should probably detransform before you go out in public with Serena..."

  
"You're right," Sparrow said. She snapped her fingers, and in an instant, she was wearing a black t-shirt with the word 'Demoness' in bright red letters, and a pair of black leather pants, perfectly matching her boots. "Is that better?"

"Demon...ess?" Mrs. Tsukino asked, reading the lettering on Sparrow's shirt and starting to giggle. "Oh, kids these days..."

  
"Well, bye bye, Mrs. Tsukino!" Sparrow said, waving and running off down the sidewalk toward the park.

---

"Die!" Sammy shouted in intense rage, furiously slashing his sword at Mikhail's head. Mikhail parried with his large, bloody knife with seemingly little effort, then leaped back and quickly slashed Sammy across the cheek. Sammy stumbled back, his hand wiping the blood away from his dripping wound.

"Now now, Sammy... don't make me kill you," Mikhail said. "The boss wants you alive. We can't extract the crystal with you dead!"  


"Shut your mouth!" Sammy shouted, lunging at Mikhail and punching him hard in the face. The punch had far more force than Mikhail had expected, and it launched Mikhail back into the hard, plaster wall of the bathroom, shattering the plaster and creating a person-sized dent in the wall where Mikhail impacted. He quickly recovered and walked toward Sammy, his back flaring up with pain.

"That's the crystal..." Mikhail said, licking his lips. "That's the power that Jekelai and I desire..."

"You won't get it... not for a second!" Sammy shouted in an enraged tone, his face beginning to turn bright red. "Too many people... you've hurt too many of my friends... you bastards are ALL going to pay!"

  
Sammy pointed his arm at Mikhail and fired a blast of dark energy, gasping as the magical energy blast left his hand. Mikhail smirked and casually smacked it away, causing it to fly up and hit the ceiling.

__

"Did I... just fire... energy out of my hand? Like THEM?" Sammy thought in horror. _"No... the crystal's making me just like them!"_

"It will be mine!" Mikhail shouted, running at Sammy and furiously stabbing at him with his dagger. In one smooth, fluid motion, Sammy sheathed his sword and then reached out with the same hand and grabbed Mikhail by the wrist, twisting it with intense force. Mikhail gasped and immediately dropped the dagger as his wrist was shattered by Sammy's strength.

"That's for Miss Haruna!" Sammy shouted, his fear replaced with renewed anger and hatred. "And this... is for me!"

Sammy leapt up and launched a powerful kick that struck Mikhail in the face and launched him back into the wall again, further damaging the dent that he'd already made. The weakened Mikhail groaned and struggled to stand as Sammy angrily walked toward him.

"This cannot be..." Mikhail said. "Apocalyptic Specters!"

The light completely disappeared from the room, but as Sammy looked around, he could still see, as everything was now glowing with a bright, grayish-white glow. Mikhail pointed both of his arms at Sammy, and out of them emerged eight screaming, ghastly wisps that whipped around Sammy and quickly drained his energy, causing the boy to fall to his knees.

"What.... did you do to me?" Sammy shouted.

  
"It's one of my favorite attacks, Sammy," Mikhail said, walking over to the boy with a menacing look in his eyes. "Now, will you come quietly, or will you die like your pathetic teacher?"  


Sammy gasped, and his eyes grew wide as he remembered his dear friend Miss Haruna, who had been heartlessly butchered before his eyes. Immediately, his rage overtook him once more, and a powerful aura of dark energy emanated out from the crystal within his chest, renewing Sammy's strength and obliterating the specters and the darkness in the room. Mikhail shielded his eyes as the light returned, and that was all the time Sammy needed to kick Mikhail in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Mikhail struggled to breathe, as Sammy's incredibly powerful kick had knocked all the wind out of his body. With cold, furious intensity, Sammy put his foot on Mikhail's stomach and unsheathed his sword.

"Now you will suffer like all of my friends and Miss Haruna did..." Sammy said, his eyes stinging with tears. 

---

"And that takes care of that," Kiragushi said arrogantly, floating down to the floor, just next to the smoldering mist of smoke where the Senshi once stood. "Good riddance."

  
Suddenly, the sharp stem of a rose slammed into Kiragushi's arm, drawing a tiny drop of blood. Kiragushi ripped the rose from her flesh and looked up to see Tuxedo Mask diving toward her, his staff fully extended. The blunt tip of the staff slammed down into the top of Kiragushi's forehead, and she stumbled back, grimacing in pain. 

"How dare you attack innocent people!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "You should be ashamed of-"

And then, the cloud of smoke drifted over Tuxedo Mask. He turned around and shielded his eyes from the dusty mist. Then, he gasped, knowing that something was extremely wrong.

"Sailor Moon... Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask shouted fearfully, trudging through the cloud of smoke. "Sailor Moon, please... please be alright..."

"Tuxedo Mask... we.... we're fine," came Sailor Moon's voice from the darkness. "Just a little hurt, is all..."

"Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask shouted, running toward the source of the voice. "I'm coming, don't worry..."

He still couldn't see through the fog, but as he felt around in the dark, his hand came to rest on Sailor Moon's face, and as a wave of happiness began to surge through his body, he immediately knew it was her. The smoke began to fade, and Tuxedo Mask wrapped his arms around his love, who replied by embracing him just as tightly. They stood there, locked in an embrace for several seconds, as the last of the smoke dissipated. When it was gone completely, Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon continued to embrace as the four embattled Senshi looked on, their bodies and Senshi uniforms marked with tiny burns from Kiragushi's attack.

"I'm glad you're alright..." Tuxedo Mask said gently. "I... thought I was too late..."  


"It's alright, Darien..." Sailor Moon whispered, kissing him briefly on the lips. "We're all fine... and now that you're here, we can take this monster down!"

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask broke off their hug and turned to face Kiragushi, who was still coughing up smoke that she'd created with her own attack. Sailor Moon smirked.

"So, can't take your own attack, hmm?" Sailor Moon said, her fighting spirit renewed despite the moderate pain that she was still feeling from Kiragushi's first two attacks. "Then maybe you'll like some of ours!"

"Mercury Ice Javelins!" Sailor Mercury shouted, channeling her strength and blasting Kiragushi with a barrage of deadly ice shards.

"Mars Flaming Cannon!" Sailor Mars shouted, launching a volley of fireballs at Kiragushi.

"Jupiter Thunder Axe!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, heaving a sparking axe of lightning straight toward the deadly mercenary's head.

"Venus Arrow Of Beauty!" Sailor Venus shouted, adding to the assault and firing a powerful, shining arrow of light at Kiragushi's chest.

"Moon... Blessed... Salvation!"

The five Senshi's attacks slammed into Kiragushi all at once, giving her no time to prepare for the humongous barrage of magical energy. The attacks created an explosion rivaling the one made by Kiragushi's rain of fireballs, but this time, the smoke quickly cleared away, leaving a hurt, but still very much alive and very angry Kiragushi, not an inch removed from where she had stood. The Senshi, weakened by using their attacks in such full force, gasped in disbelief, as did Tuxedo Mask.

"Surprised?" Kiragushi asked, sneering at the stunned Senshi. "Do you think Jekelai would send just ANY mercenary for this job? Puh-leese! I've seen stronger attacks by children! You're all pathetic!"

Kiragushi pointed her arms at the Senshi and fired a large, yellow beam of energy at them. Tuxedo Mask leapt in the beam's path and took the full brunt of it, flying back toward the weakened Senshi and lying at their feet, crumpled up on the ground like a pathetic ragdoll.

"Tuxedo Mask!" shouted the Senshi in unison, and Sailor Moon instinctively kneeled by his side, turning him onto his back to inspect his wounds. 

"You'll be okay..." Sailor Moon whispered. "I promise..."

---

  
Sparrow ran into the park, and quickly looked around for any sign of Serena or her friends. Because of her speed, she was able to quickly search the park within a matter of minutes, and was soon back at the park's entrance, sighing wearily.

"I should've probably just asked her about Sammy," Sparrow groaned. "Serena's nowhere to be-"

That's when Sparrow's eyes caught a large plume of smoke, rising up from the mall where the Senshi were fighting Kiragushi, about half a mile from the park. Sparrow didn't know the Senshi were fighting, but she did know that smoke usually meant fire, and fire usually meant trouble.

__

"I'd better see what's causing that smoke, and fast!" Sparrow thought, breaking out into an inhumanly fast jog and rushing toward the mall.

---

Mikhail looked up at Sammy, and Sammy looked back down at Mikhail. Their eyes met, and as Mikhail realized what Sammy was about to do, terror quickly overwhelmed him.

"Sammy, please!" Mikhail begged. "Don't you remember me? I'm your friend!"

"You killed Miss Haruna.... you were never my friend," Sammy said. "You just used me to get to my friends!"

"Sammy!" Mikhail shouted. "Don't do this! You don't want to do this!"

"Miss Haruna was like a mother to me," Sammy said. "Yes I do."

And then, Sammy stepped off of Mikhail's stomach and brought the sharp tip of his blade down on Mikhail's side. Mikhail screamed in pain as blood began to spurt out of the wound. Sammy removed his sword and stabbed Mikhail again, in the arm. More blood, and another scream. Now, Sammy couldn't stop himself. Rage and adrenaline, fueled by the pulsating Dark Crystal, caused Sammy to drive the blade into Mikhail again and again. Finally, after more than twenty stabs, Mikhail's screaming had ceased, as life left the treacherous mercenary's body. Sammy stepped back and inspected his work, and as the Dark Crystal's influence quickly subsided, Sammy immediately realized what he had done. He dropped his blood-drenched sword and collapsed in sobs over the brutalized, fallen forms of Miss Haruna and Mikhail.

"I'm no better than they are!" Sammy screamed out in anguish. "I'm filled with evil... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

The door to the restroom reappeared as Mikhail's dimensional control died with him. The first two to walk inside the room were Mika and Mei-Lin, and they gasped as they set their eyes on the horrifying scene. Sammy was covered in the blood of both Mikhail and Miss Haruna, and neither of the two girls could bear to stay in the room for more than two seconds. The next person to enter was the costumed tour guide, who gasped in horror.

"What.... in the world... happened here?" the tour guide shrieked.

"Mika, what's wrong?" Rick asked Mika as the sobbing girl collapsed into his arms.

"Sammy.... Mikhail... Miss Haruna..." Mika cried. "Sammy... I think he...."

"He killed them!" Mei-Lin screamed. Sammy, now noticing the voices all around him, stood up and turned toward the crowd of people who had gathered to witness what had happened.

"No way, that's impossible!" Rick shouted, running into the restroom. As soon as he saw Sammy, however, he recoiled in horror. "What the.... what's going on?"

  
"I'm calling the police, right now!" shouted one of the tour guides, running out of the room.

"Wait, no!" Mika screamed, charging through the crowd and back into the restroom. "Sammy, what happened?"

"M-M-M-Mikhail... was a bad.... bad guy..." Sammy sobbed, wiping the tears and blood away from his face. "And he... he killed Miss Haruna.... so... so... I... I..."

  
"You... killed Mikhail," Mika said quietly in a subdued tone. "Oh, Sammy..."

  
"He had to defend himself," Rick said, closing his eyes to shield himself from the horrible carnage of the room. "Sammy... that Dark Crystal thing... made you kill him... right?"

"I.... I don't know anymore," Sammy sobbed, bowing his head. _"Ami... why can't this all just be a dream?"_

---

"Look out!" Sailor Mars shouted, frantically leaping out of the way as Kiragushi tossed a deadly rain of exploding energy spheres down at the Senshi. "Grrr.... Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

  
Eight rings of fire flew up at Kiragushi as she rapidly flew over the Senshi's heads. She smiled and formed an energy barrier around herself, blocking the burning rings of flame against it. Sailor Mars groaned in frustration.

"We've gotta hurry and defeat her!" shouted Sailor Venus, leaping back as Kiragushi extended a purple blade of energy from her right hand and swung it at Sailor Venus' head.

"Mercury... Ice Bubbles... Freeze!"

A torrent of bubbly mist washed over Kiragushi, encasing her in a large block of ice and stopping her right in her tracks. Sailor Mercury let a brief smile form on her lips as the block of ice hit the ground and skidded several feet with Kiragushi trapped inside.

"Nice going, Mercury!" Sailor Moon said, giving Sailor Mercury a thumbs-up with one hand while caressing Tuxedo Mask's face with the other.

"Guys, I don't think she's finished!" Sailor Jupiter yelled. As soon as she had finished her sentence, the large block of ice cracked and shattered, and Kiragushi cackled victoriously, pumping her fists in the air.

"The good thing about ice is that it's so easy to break," Kiragushi said, smirking at Sailor Mercury. "Well, if you're strong enough..."

Suddenly, a powerful figure came flying through the entrance of the mall, extending her leg and kicking Kiragushi hard in the back. Kiragushi hit the ground and skidded several feet before coming to a stop, lying flat on her face. The Senshi all looked to see who had attacked Kiragushi, and delightedly rejoiced when they saw Sparrow, standing near the mall's entrance.

"Sparrow!" Sailor Mercury said, smiling in her direction. "Are we glad to see you...."

"Yeah, I see that you guys could use at least a little bit of help," Sparrow said. "So, are you guys ready to kick this girl's butt, or what?"

"You.... must be... Sparrow..." Kiragushi said, standing up and turning around to face Sparrow and the Senshi. "Jekelai warned me about you... I was a bit worried, though... I thought you'd be...."

"Thought I'd be where?" Sparrow asked, quizzically.

"What's she mean by that?" Sailor Jupiter asked. Sailor Mercury thought for a second, her thoughts racing.

__

"Where else would Sparrow.... oh my God, Sammy!"

Sailor Mercury gasped loudly enough for everyone on the battlefield to hear.

"Kiragushi's only a diversion...." Sailor Mercury said. "Sammy's in trouble!"

"Go!" Sparrow said, turning toward Sailor Mercury. "Do you know where he is?"

  
Sailor Mercury nodded.

  
"Don't worry about leaving us, Mercury," Sailor Mars said. "Whatever danger Sammy's in, you have to get there, in a hurry!"

"Right!" Sailor Mercury said, nodding her head. "But... will you guys be okay?"

"We can... take care.... of this girl..." Tuxedo Mask said, looking up from the ground and smiling at Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mercury nodded, and then ran out of the mall, desperately trying to reach Sammy before it would be too late to save him.

__

"If she gets to Sammy and Mikhail, our whole plan is screwed!" Kiragushi thought. She pointed her arm at Sailor Mercury and fired out a long, gray tentacle, trying to catch her before she escaped the battle. Sparrow grabbed the tentacle as it flew past and sent a jolt of electrical energy through it, shocking Kiragushi with hundreds of thousands of volts and immediately causing her to retract the tentacle back into her palm and grimace in pain.

"You won't stop our friend from helping the person she loves," Sailor Moon said, rising to her feet and pointing the glowing Sword of the Moon directly at Kiragushi's face. "Your time is up!"

---

__

"I have to get to Sammy... I have to get to Sammy... if he's hurt, I'll never forgive myself!" Sailor Mercury thought as she ran down the street toward the Sailor Senshi museum. She stopped in front of it, and at the same time, a police car pulled up on the sidewalk next to the museum, causing Sailor Mercury to gasp in fright. _"Something terrible has happened... oh, no! NO!"_

Sailor Mercury ran into the museum and pushed through the crowd that had gathered in front of the women's restroom. Many of the people in the crowd thought that Sailor Mercury was simply one of the tour guides in disguise, and so she had a very hard time pushing through the crowd to get to the restroom. Once she finally made it to the entrance, she pushed the last few people out of the way. The strong stench of blood immediately found its way to her nostrils, but she shook off the smell and scanned the room for Sammy, fearing the worst. When her eyes finally spotted him, she had to put both of her hands over her mouth to stifle the loud scream that was quickly working its way up to her lips.

Kneeling inbetween the bodies of Mikhail and Miss Haruna was Sammy, rocking back and forth with his arms around his knees. Rick, Mei-Lin, and Mika had all tried to comfort him, but were all ejected from the room by the tour guides, who held Sammy's friends back in the crowd and were now waiting for the police to arrive. Sailor Mercury, not knowing whether any of the large amount of blood on the ground belonged to Sammy or either of the two people on the ground, but she knew that something had happened, and that Sammy desperately needed her. She knelt down in front of Sammy and tried to lift up his face, but as soon as Sammy opened his eyes, and his eyes met with Sailor Mercury's, he turned away, ashamed to be in her presence.

"Go away..." Sammy sobbed, burying his head into his knees. "You'll only be hurt... like Miss Haruna...."

Sailor Mercury hesitated. She didn't know what to say, and tears began to flow down her face, as the coldness of Sammy's rejection sunk in.

__

"Something has happened... Miss Haruna... oh, God... and it looks like one of Sammy's friends was killed too..."

Two police officers pushed their way into the room, and glared at Sailor Mercury with contempt, guns drawn.

"Step away from him, ma'am," the first officer said. "There's been a crime committed here, and-"

"Get away from him!" Sailor Mercury shouted, deeply offended that the police evidently thought Sammy had committed this horrible atrocity. "Don't you DARE touch him!"

"Ma'am, calm down," said the second officer.

  
"Do you know who I am?" Sailor Mercury shrieked. "Do you KNOW who I am?"

"You work here," said the first officer. "But it's over now, and we can handle-"

"I'm Sailor Mercury, dammit!" she screamed, extending her arms and coating the walls of the room in an inch-thick layer of ice. "The _real _Sailor Mercury!"  


The two officers looked at each other, and then backed out of the room, stopping at the rooms entrance and waving their arms innocently. The other bystanders gasped and stepped back.

"Alright, alright," said the first officer, slowly putting away his gun. "But we really don't think this is any of your concern..."

"Sammy didn't do this!" Sailor Mercury shouted, and for the first time, Sammy looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. "It was those... those monsters... they... they..."

  
"The ones that went after the school?" asked the second officer. "But then why-"

"Mikhail.... he was... he was evil..." Sammy gasped through his sobs. "And he killed Miss Haruna..."

Sailor Mercury turned around and stepped toward her grieving lover, who stepped back away from Sailor Mercury as she tried to get near him.

"No... you can't..." Sammy sobbed. "My friends... none of them... can be with me anymore... I don't want you to get hurt like Miss Haruna! I-"

Sailor Mercury ran up to Sammy and hugged him as tightly as she could, intense tears coursing in rivers down her face, as some of the blood from the fallen Mikhail and Miss Haruna caked onto the bottom of her boots. Sammy began to push Mercury away, but then felt something... incredible, as he hugged her. When he was in Sailor Mercury's arms, all he could think about was her... it was like the Dark Crystal didn't even exist. He wrapped his arms around Sailor Mercury, returning the embrace, as his crying slowly subsided. Some of the stunned bystanders wearily walked into the room as Sammy and Sailor Mercury slowly pulled away from the hug, and the ice melted from the walls of the room.

"There are... terrible villains... out there," Sailor Mercury sobbed. "And I... I'm so deeply sorry... that we haven't been able to stop them... before innocent people got hurt...."

Sammy, weak from fighting and weak from grief, collapsed onto one knee. Sailor Mercury picked up his blood-soaked form and began carrying him out of the room, as the crowd of people parted to allow them to leave. Three of the people in the crowd, Sammy's three friends, Rick, Mika, and Mei-Lin, walked out after Sailor Mercury, following her into the lobby of the museum as paramedics filed past them to take away the bodies of Mikhail and Miss Haruna. All three of them had been crying, and tears were still falling down Mei-Lin's face.

"M....Miss Haruna...." Mei-Lin sobbed, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "Why did this have.... to happen?"  


"Will Sammy be alright?" Mika asked. "Please... please say Sammy will be alright..."

"This is just... this is just completely insane," Rick said in subdued shock. "I can't begin to describe how I feel..."

"What happened today... and yesterday," Sailor Mercury said, remembering her classmates who had been killed by Jekelai, "was terrible.... and the Sailor Senshi will destroy those who are responsible. "I promise that you won't be affected by this terrible evil again... we're going to destroy the evil... once and for all."

  
Sailor Mercury looked down at Sammy, who had passed out in her arms. The emotion of the last few hours was just too much for the poor child and his ravaged psyche to handle, and Sailor Mercury shed a tear onto his blood-stained face.

"Hey.... the kid just vanished!" shouted one of the paramedics from the women's restroom. "The black-haired kid is gone... faded away right before my eyes!"

"So that kid was telling the truth," said one of the tour guides, recalling a fight on one of the videos in which one of the Senshi's foes had faded away after being vanquished by an attack. "Those evil fiends..."

The tour guide, who was the one accompanying Sammy's group, dressed to look like Sailor Mercury, ran out of the crowd and approached the Senshi of Water as she left the building.

"Make those bastards pay," said the tour guide, anger evident in her voice. Sailor Mercury simply turned to her and gave a quick nod. Then, with Sammy in her arms, she walked out of the building, despair, anger, and relief all clouding her thoughts.

---

"I don't care if you have a sword, or if Sparrow is with you!" Kiragushi shouted. "You're short one lovestruck Sailor Senshi, and now that she's gone, you'll all die!"

"You're forgetting that I'm stronger than Sailor Mercury," Sparrow said, "despite what Sammy may think... and you're about to get the buttkicking of your life!"

  
"Just bring it!" Kiragushi shouted, leaping into the air. "Gravity Force!"

Kiragushi waved her arms and extended them outward, sending a crushing wave of gravitational energy at the Sailor Senshi. Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Venus immediately felt the impact of the crushing force and were pinned to the ground, but Sailor Moon and Sparrow stood their ground, although it was clear that they were both struggling to stay on their feet.

"Damn... this is nasty..." Sailor Moon said, turning toward Sparrow while keeping the Sword of the Moon pointed in Kiragushi's direction. "I'm going in for the kill... cover me, alright?"

"What?" Sparrow said in disbelief. "Not with all this gravity you're not..."  


Sailor Moon smiled at Sparrow.

"Watch me," she whispered. With a burst of strength, she ran forward at Kiragushi, who was still several feet above the ground, keeping her arms extended outward and intensifying the gravity's effect. Once, Sailor Moon almost fell to her knees, but she miraculously recovered, and stopped right in front of Kiragushi.

"Try all you want, you'll never get up here with my gravity in effect!" shouted Kiragushi.

  
"You're really leaving yourself open, keeping your arms out like that," Sailor Moon said. "And now, to finish you for good!"

Sailor Moon channeled all of her strength into her legs, and pushed off into the air, desperately leaping up to get a good shot at Kiragushi. However, she had vastly underestimated the gravity's crushing force, and was rudely awakened by being slammed into the ground at full speed as the crushing gravity pressed her body into the earth.

"Oh no, you don't!" shouted Sparrow, running forward and straining to pick the collapsed Sailor Moon up off of the ground. "Finish her off!"

  
Sailor Moon turned her head and smiled at Sparrow, whose face was now covered in sweat from the monumental effort of holding Sailor Moon in the air under the intense gravitational force. With a mighty thrust, Sailor Moon plunged the sword into Kiragushi's chest, and the mercenary barely had time to gasp before she was instantly disintegrated. The gravity subsided, Sailor Moon's sword reverted back to its original form, and Sparrow and Sailor Moon both collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The other three Senshi wearily rose to their feet, along with Tuxedo Mask, who had seemingly recovered from his injuries enough to stand. Finally, Sailor Moon and Sparrow got up, and turned to face one another. Sparrow was the first to smile.

"Sailor Moon, that was... really fun!" Sparrow said, smiling brightly. Sailor Moon nodded.

"High five!" Sailor Moon said, holding up her hand in the air. Sparrow giggled, then slapped her palm against Sailor Moon's gloved hand.

"That wasn't fun, that was exhausting!" Sailor Mars barked. "And Sailor Mercury is still in trouble!"

  
Sailor Moon gasped.

"I forgot about that," Sailor Moon said. "We'd better hurry to the museum, right away!"

Sparrow nodded.

  
"But first, Sailor Moon, I.... I want to apologize," Sparrow said. "I acted really harshly last night, and..."

"We know Jekelai's alive now," Sailor Moon replied, "and we're going to beat him... together. You don't have to apologize, Sparrow... you're the only one who really understands how truly evil Jekelai is."

"Thank you, Sailor Moon," Sparrow said. 

"Are we going to the museum now?" Sailor Jupiter asked. "We'd better hurry... Sailor Mercury could be in really big trouble!"

---

Ami, who detransformed as soon as she entered her room, gently placed Sammy on her bed, after first wrapping him in a towel to shield her sheets from the blood covering Sammy's body.

__

"After he wakes up, I'll let him use the shower to clean up..." Ami thought. _"My gosh, how could someone do such a terrible thing... Sammy's friend Mikhail betrayed him and killed Sammy's favorite teacher... it's too unspeakable to think about... he must be completely overwhelmed..."_

Sammy's eyes fluttered open, and Ami kissed him on the forehead as he awoke.

"A....Ami?" Sammy said sleepily, sitting up in Ami's bed and wiping his face with the towel. "What.... what happened?"

  
"You fell unconscious at the museum, so I took you back to my house... oh, Sammy, I'm so sorry I let all of this happen..."

Ami put her head in her hands, and tears fell down her cheeks once more. Sammy walked over to comfort her, but didn't want to touch Ami with his body still drenched in blood.

"Ami, I... can I use your shower, really quickly, please?" Sammy asked. "I'm sorry to-"

  
"It's alright, Sammy," Ami said, nodding to him. "I'll be waiting when you come out, okay? We can talk then... anything you want to talk about, alright?"

Sammy nodded, and walked into the bathroom with the towel still wrapped around his body. Ami slumped against the bathroom door and sat with her head bowed, sniffling and wiping tears from her eyes.

__

"Jekelai has to be stopped now," Ami thought. _"Before he hurts anyone else... they all have to be stopped..."_

And as she recalled the look on Sammy's face from earlier, as she first set eyes on him in the restroom of the museum, his face twisted in anguish and grief, Ami bit her lip, the memory of Sammy's suffering wrenching her body with pain every time she thought about it.

__

"I have to do something... show him I still love him, no matter what happens... I want to make him happy again..."

---

"Where is Sammy?" Sailor Moon shrieked at the two police officers as paramedics walked past her, carrying the bodybag containing Miss Haruna out of the building. 

"Sailor Mercury came and carried him off," said the officer. "We sent everybody else home, the woman was the only one killed."

"Someone was... killed?" Sailor Mars said, her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach. _"We got here too late..."_

"Well, there was another one killed, but... he was one of those... whatdya call 'em, monsters from the... what do you guys call it again? The Negaverse?" asked the second officer. "Kid was trying to protect his teacher from the monster, but it got her first... kid went ballistic and-"

  
"TEACHER?" Sailor Moon shrieked. _"Oh my God, no..."_

"Haruna was her last name, I don't know her first, but-"

__

"Miss Haruna, no!" Sailor Moon thought, her lip beginning to tremble.

"Hey, that was your tea-" Sailor Venus began before Sailor Mars pressed her hand over Sailor Venus' lips.

"Shh, don't give away Sailor Moon's identity, stupid," Sailor Mars whispered.

"Sorry," Sailor Venus mumbled through Mars' hand.

"That's terrible," Sparrow said. "We were responding to an attack on the mall... we're... sorry..."

"And what about the child?" Sailor Moon asked, a tear falling down the right side of her face. "What was... his name?"

"Sammy Tsukino," said the first officer. "Sailor Mercury carried him out of here, though. Don't you girls ever talk with each other? You oughta know what the other ones are doing."

"We'd better contact Sailor Mercury," Tuxedo Mask said. Sailor Moon nodded and raised her communicator to her lips.

---

"Okay, Ami," Sammy said through the bathroom door. "I'm all washed up, but... my clothes are still-"

"It's okay, Sammy, I'll find you some other clothes to wear," Ami said, walking into her room and looking through her drawers. _"There's gotta be something in here for Sammy to wear that looks remotely like a boy's clothes... plus, I have to get some swim trunks for him to wear."_

Ami had decided that she would bring Sammy to the swimming pool that she frequented at the recreational center a few blocks away. Whenever Ami was sad or depressed, she would go to the pool and just swim, sometimes for several hours at a time. It was the pool where she had raced her friend Michelle, AKA Sailor Neptune, so long ago... at least, it seemed long ago. If swimming could raise her damp spirits, maybe it could do the same for Sammy. 

Suddenly, the communicator on Ami's wrist began to ring.

"Hello?" Ami said, lifting the communicator up to her lips. "Sailor Moon?"

"Oh, thank goodness.... where's Sammy?" Sailor Moon asked. "We heard about everything that went down at the museum, are you both okay?"

"Yes... I took him back to my house, and he's in the shower, getting washed up... oh, Serena, I feel so terrible about what happened!"

"I know... me too, Ami... Miss Haruna's the last person that this sort of thing should happen to... I mean, she yelled at me in class a lot, but... I really cared for her, she was a wonderful teacher, and... how's Sammy taking it?"

"It'll be hard for him to recover," Ami said. "But right now, he's doing the best he can."

"Thank goodness," Sailor Moon replied. "Ami, you know what this means..."

  
"We've got to defeat Jekelai, and we have to do it now," Ami said. "I'll talk to you in a bit, alright? Then we can figure out what to do about all this..."

  
"Take care, Ami," Sailor Moon said. "And stay safe..."

Ami turned off the communicator and resumed looking for clothes. Finally, Ami found something suitable for Sammy to wear. A blue sweater, and a pair of blue jeans, the only pair Ami had. They would be a little tight on Sammy, but he wouldn't be wearing them very much anyway once they got to the pool, so she was sure he wouldn't mind. Then, she found a clean pair of boxer shorts that she obviously never wore, so they would be okay for Sammy to put on. Finally, she also took out a pair of socks, and a pair of tennis shoes that she rarely wore.

__

"I hope he has small feet," Ami thought.

Also, buried deep in one of her closets, was a pair of swim trunks that had once been worn by her father before he moved out of the house when Ami was still very young. Ami didn't know why she still had the trunks, but she was glad that they were around for this occasion. Finally, Ami picked up a small, black handkerchief from her desk.

__

"I want this to be a surprise," Ami thought. _"If I just flat-out proposed the idea of swimming to him, he'd probably shoot me down."_

Ami opened the door of the bathroom just a little ways, tossing the clothes (sans the swim trunks) in to Sammy with her head turned. Then, she shut the door. A few minutes later, Sammy walked out of the bathroom, wearing all of the clothes Ami had given him. He looked and smelled completely clean, and he didn't have a drop of blood on his body, with a bandage pressed over the cut on his cheek. Ami smiled at Sammy, and he smiled back, but still felt a great deal of guilt over Miss Haruna's death.

"Ami, I... I still don't think I should be near you," Sammy said, turning away from her. "I love you, but I... you saw what I did you Mikhail... the Dark Crystal's got a hold of me!"

Ami gently turned Sammy around and looked straight into Sammy's eyes, a warm, caring, understanding smile on her beautiful face.

"Sammy... I promise you... that I will never, ever, ever let the Dark Crystal take hold of you. I love you too, Sammy... more than everything and everyone else in existance, Sammy... more than all of the stars, and the planets... my love for you is eternal, and I don't want to leave your side, not even for a moment..."

"But Ami, I don't want to endanger you," Sammy said sorrowfully. "You saw what happened to Miss Haruna!"

"I know... but I trust you, Sammy... I trust you to protect me... and I promise to stay safe.... you've saved my life more times than I can count, Sammy," Ami said.

"And you've saved mine just as many, Ami....." Sammy replied, beginning to cry. "I... I don't know what I'd do without you..."

The two lovers leaned in and kissed, wrapping each other in a tight embrace and silently vowing to protect one another from the deadly enemies who were soon to come.

---

"Are we there yet?" Sammy asked. Ami was leading Sammy down the sidewalk toward the recreational center, and had tied her black handkerchief around his eyes before they had left the house, blindfolding him to keep her plan a surprise.

"Almost," Ami said, smiling as the entrance to the recreational center came into view. She walked up to it and led Sammy inside, walking him down the halls and leading him toward the pool area. As Sammy and Ami neared the pool, Sammy could detect the faint odor of chlorine, and quickly figured out where he and Ami were.

"Ami, is this the pool?" Sammy asked. "Did you take me to the-"

  
"Hold on, Sammy," Ami said, walking Sammy over to the hallway outside the locker rooms. "Now, wait here, and don't take off the blindfold until I tell you too."

  
"Okay, but I know we're at the pool, Ami," Sammy said, obediently waiting for Ami to come out of the locker room, and not touching his blindfold. Finally, after several minutes, Sammy could hear Ami's voice once more.

"Alright, Sammy, you can take off the blindfold now!" Ami said cheerfully. Sammy pulled the handkerchief up from over his eyes, which widened to nearly twice their size as Sammy gazed at the vision in front of him.

"Oh my... Ami, you look wonderful!"

Ami was standing in front of Sammy, wearing a shimmering, dark blue, two-piece bikini that perfectly matched her hair and accentuated her beautiful, slender frame. Ami giggled at Sammy's bewildered reaction.

  
"You like, Sammy?" Ami asked, smiling. "I know you've only seen me in a one-piece before, so... well, I went out and bought this in the fall, and was hoping that one summer rolled around I could wear this to the beach, but... now's as good a time as ever, hmm?"

Ami handed Sammy the pair of swim trunks.

"Would you like to swim with me?" Ami asked. "I'd be honored if you would... swimming always cheers me up, and-"  


"Ami... just being with you makes me feel the most incredible joy," Sammy said, looking into her eyes. "I'd love to swim with you, Ami."

---

An hour after Sammy and Ami had gotten into the pool, the two were playfully splashing around, not really having done very much 'swimming'. Neither Ami nor Sammy really cared that they weren't really swimming, because both of them were happy, and that's all that really mattered.

"Oh, Ami...." Sammy said, briefly stopping his splashing exchange with Ami. "I... I'm having the most wonderful time of my life... but I still feel really terrible about what happened with Miss Haruna..."

  
"Sammy, I promise that... I promise we'll find some way to get her back," Ami said. "We've revived people before, and once Jekelai and his mercenaries are defeated, I'm sure we can do it again..."

"Oh, Ami..." Sammy said blissfully. "I.... I love you so much, and..."

Sammy could barely find the words to speak, he was so happy... both he and Ami were. This was the kind of thing he and Ami used to do, back in the old days... before Jekelai, before the Pale Mercenaries were trying to attack Sammy and his friends... and he longed to be able to be with Ami without fear, without having to worry about her being hurt... that was all Sammy and Ami wanted now. 

Ami waded over to Sammy and put her arms on his shoulders, staring longingly at him. He did the same, and then, the two both slipped under the surface of the blue water. No one was around, and the lifeguard on duty knew Ami, knew that she was an extremely good swimmer, and was taking a coffee break elsewhere in the building. It was just Sammy, Ami, and the water. The two touched the bottom of the pool and embraced, their lips meeting, and their mouths slowly opening, lips tightly wrapped around the other's and forming a watertight seal. Their tongues briefly met, and they kissed for several seconds, still kissing as they floated up to the surface.

"Havin' fun?"

Sammy and Ami gasped and broke off their kiss, looking up toward the deck of the pool with their arms still locked in an embrace. There, standing just a few feet away from the pool, was Jekelai, smiling an evil grin as he gazed at the two embracing lovers.

"Now, that is just sick. Who french kisses in a pool, anyway?" Jekelai asked. He raised his arm, lifting Sammy up, away from Ami and out of the water. His other hand began to crackle and spark with electricity.

"LET SAMMY GO NOW!" Ami shouted furiously.

"Ami, look out!" Sammy yelled as he saw Jekelai's electrified hand slowly lowering toward the water.

"Here's a physics lesson for you, Ami. If you're so smart, tell me this. What happens when electricity touches water?"

Ami gasped in horror.

"Don't you dare, you son of a-" Sammy began before Jekelai plunged his hand into the water, sending a momentous electric shock through the entire pool. Ami screamed as the shock jolted her body, immediately passing out and floating up to the surface, her lifeless body floating face down in the water. Sammy struggled to reach her, but found his body hopelessly paralyzed by Jekelai's power.

"She's either dead from the shock, or she's drowning as we speak, Sammy," Jekelai said, smiling. "And you get to watch!"  


"LIKE HELL I DO! ERAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

With a loud scream and a huge burst of energy, Sammy broke free of Jekelai's paralysis and emanated a gigantic, black magical energy wave from his body, blasting Jekelai back into the wall. Instead of going after Jekelai, who had been knocked out by Sammy's attack, he dove into the pool and pulled Ami over to the side, where he set her down face-up on the hard floor and put his hand to her neck. She wasn't breathing, and Sammy couldn't feel a pulse. He felt a crushing wave of despair.

__

"No..."

"Yes," Jekelai said, waking up and slowly climbing to his feet. "She's dead, Sammy... ding dong, the bitch is dead!"

"DIE!" Sammy shouted, blasting Jekelai back into the wall with another wave of energy, then leaning over Ami's still form. "Ami... I know you're alive..."

Remembering the CPR techniques Ami had taught him a few months back, Sammy put both of his hands over Ami's heart and knelt down over her face, pressing his lips tightly over hers.

__

"You saved my life with CPR once, Ami... I only hope it works for you as well as it worked for me..."

Sammy pressed down hard on Ami's chest, counting off the seconds and compressing in a strict rhythm, alternating chest compressions with breaths into Ami's lips, desperately trying to save her life.

"What are you doing now, Sammy?" Jekelai asked, standing up. This time, Sammy completely ignored Jekelai, and continued giving CPR to Ami at a furious pace, hoping that he'd hear her breathe, just once... just enough to tell him she was still alive. "I'll kill her, Sammy!"

Jekelai pointed his arm at Sammy and Ami.

"Moon... Blessed... Salvation!"

A large wave of magical energy hit Jekelai, blasting him back into the wall a third time. Sammy looked up and saw Sparrow and the Sailor Senshi, standing just outside the pool, all of them looking at Sammy and Ami with concern in their eyes.

"Ami's hurt!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"It's alright, Sailor Moon... I'm going to save her... I promise I will!" Sammy shouted.

"Damn you, Sailor Senshi... damn you, Sparrow! How did you get here?" Jekelai shouted.

"I can smell you from miles, Jekelai... your evil stench is repulsive," Sparrow said in disgust.

Jekelai extended his arms and formed a large, swirling black gate.

__

"I can't extract the Crystal with those interfering fools around... Sammy's too strong now, I'll have to get him by himself!" Jekelai thought.

"You won't escape!" Sparrow shouted. As Jekelai plunged into the portal, Sparrow dove in after him. The portal remained open and Sammy turned to the Senshi once more.

"Hurry!" Sammy shouted, continuing to give Ami chest compressions. "Sparrow can't beat Jekelai alone!"

  
"But Sammy, Ami is-" Sailor Moon began.

  
"She'll be fine... I promise she will," Sammy said. "You have to beat Jekelai now, before he hurts anyone else!"

  
"Alright, Sammy..." Sailor Moon said, nodding to her little brother. "But... you have to promise you and Ami will-"

"We'll be fine..." Sammy said, tears streaming down his face. "GO!"

  
Sailor Moon nodded, and the four Senshi disappeared into the barrier, just before it closed behind him. Sammy and Ami remained alone, beside the pool. Sammy knelt down over Ami and continued giving her CPR, as his tears freely fell onto her face.

__

"Please... Ami... please wake up... I can't do this without you, I can't go on without you... I can't live without you..."

Sammy breathed into Ami's lips one last time, and as he raised his lips away from hers, she let out a loud gasp, then began coughing sputtering, water violently escaping from her lips. Sammy rolled to the side, and Ami sat up, spitting out even more water. Finally, she stopped coughing, and opened her eyes, turning to Sammy, who was kneeling on the ground beside her.

"Sammy...." Ami said, shaking her head in bewilderment. "What... where... what happened?"

  
"Oh... oh Ami.... I'm so glad you're-"

Sammy could say no more, his sobs of sadness turning into tears of joy. He embraced Ami for what must have been the millionth time that day, and as she returned his hug, her eyes lit up with joy.

"Sammy, you... saved my life, didn't you?" Ami asked, slowly pulling away from the hug.

"I was just... returning a favor... Ami," Sammy replied, blinking back tears and wiping the tears away from Ami's eyes. "Ami.... I love you so much..."

"Sammy...."

The two lovers embraced again, and kissed more deeply than they had ever kissed before. Jekelai's departure meant that the two lovers would be safe from harm, as long as the Senshi and Sparrow were still able to fight... but Sammy's mind wasn't ready to dwell on Sparrow and the Senshi, who must have been in Jekelai's hideout by then... only one thing was in his mind now... one person, one beautiful angel... Ami Mizuno, the girl he loved. As long as he was with Ami, he could never feel despair.

---

*hands die* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I have to get new hands now... 8,000 word chapter... never thought it'd be this long. But it sets up the last four awful nicely, don't you think? Please review! 


	18. Collected Vengeance

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

Sparrow was in the throne room again. It hadn't changed from when she last fought Jekelai, just a few days earlier... but Sparrow didn't really expect it to change in any way. Just like Jekelai... some people never changed.

She glanced around the huge room, searching for her opponent. She looked behind her, to the large, golden door... nothing. She looked in front of her, to the well-decorated throne... nothing. She looked all around, one, twice, and then three times. There was no sign of Jekelai, or any of the Sailor Senshi for that matter.

__

"The coward is going after them first," Sparrow thought. _"It's just like that sick son of a bitch to go after his weakest foes first..."_

Not that Sparrow thought the Senshi were weak... but in Sparrow's mind, her powers were far superior to those of the Senshi. She could sense that the Senshi were strong, but not nearly as strong as she knew herself to be... of course, she couldn't possibly have known of the Imperium Silver Crystal, the secret of Sailor Moon's true power. Had she known about that, she might have worried about her friends just a little less.

"I have to help them," Sparrow said quietly, turning toward the door. "I won't let Jekelai hurt-"  


"Who _are _you talking about, Sparrow... I'm right here."

Sparrow turned back toward the throne. There, sitting in the plush, golden seat with his chin resting on his hand, was Jekelai, looking at Sparrow with a smile of pleasure on his face. Slowly, he rose from the throne, his cape briefly flowing out behind him as he began walking down the center of the long room, toward Sparrow. Sparrow stood her ground, clenching her fists as she prepared to destroy Jekelai once and for all.

"Where are they?" Sparrow asked. "The Sailor Senshi... why aren't they here?"

"They're in the bowels of my castle... you don't think I'd let those interfering little twirps disrupt our final dance, do you?" Jekelai asked, smiling proudly as he stopped about twenty feet away from Sparrow, the distance between the two spanning just less than ten percent of the room's immense length.

"It won't be a dance, Jekelai... it will be a massacre," Sparrow said, a familiar aura of energy beginning to circulate around her body. "I will tear you limb from limb."

  
"I plan to finish what I should have done a year ago, my darling Sparrow," Jekelai replied, and his eyes glimmered with an intense lust that made Sparrow tremble for a split-second. "But I will allow you to make the first move... ladies first, after all."

"I don't need the first move to defeat you, Jekelai... but I will take it," Sparrow said. She extended her right arm toward Jekelai, and immediately, a ring of cracks appeared in the floor beneath Jekelai's feet. In a fraction of a second, huge fragments of rock jutted out along the cracks, trapping Jekelai in a cage of earth nearly ten feet high. With one quick leap, Jekelai escaped the rocky cage and landed just outside its boundaries, before the rock structure collapsed in on itself, creating a large cloud of dust. Jekelai stood at the front of the dust cloud as if nothing had happened, the same smirk still remaining on his face.

"You just don't get it, do you, Jekelai?" Sparrow said intensely. "I came here to kill you."

  
Suddenly, the millions of dust particles that had been thrown up into the air all began to shine with an intense red glow, and Jekelai could begin to feel a small twinge of pain. That minor twinge intensified into thousands of piercing stabs as Sparrow accelerated the tiny particles into deadly projectiles that pierced entirely through Jekelai's body, cutting him hundreds of thousands of times and collapsing him to his knees, groaning in pain. Sparrow quickly traversed the gap between Jekelai and herself, flying up to the evil mercenary and slamming the tip of her leather boot into his forehead. Sparrow's kick sent Jekelai flying back through the air, but Jekelai quickly recovered, landing on his feet, steadying himself, and rising to full height as quickly as he had been launched into the air. His casual smile was gone, and now a look of determination was on his face, as it was evident that Sparrow's first attack had greatly damaged his pride.

"My turn," Jekelai said, wiping blood away from a large gash that Sparrow's kick had made on his forehead.

---

Jekelai was right, the Sailor Senshi were in the bowls of the castle... or rather, the dank, dingy dungeons that dominated the fortress' basement. As Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus looked around at the cells that lined the walls, the number one concern in each of their minds was the fate of their dear friend, Ami Mizuno.

"I really hope Ami's going to be alright," Sailor Jupiter said as the four Senshi wandered through the dark dungeon rooms. 

"I know she will be," Sailor Moon said. "My brother loves Ami with all his heart and soul, and he'd never let anything happen to her!"

"I hope you're right," Sailor Mars replied. "But when we saw Ami, she wasn't breathing... what did Jekelai do to her?"

"They were near the pool, he probably tried to drown her or something," Sailor Moon suggested, shivering from both the coldness of the dungeon and the fear in her mind about Ami's fate. "Poor Ami... and poor Sammy, too."

"He's had such a rough day," Sailor Venus said sympathetically. "I just hope that we can find some way to bring Miss Haruna back..."

  
"Those jerks will pay for what they did to her..." Sailor Moon said through gritted teeth, showing a rare display of anger. "I can't let them hurt anyone else!"

Suddenly, the Senshi heard a faint, pained moaning noise from one of the adjacent rooms. They ran into the room and emerged into another row of cells, just like the last room. However, this room was different, because in the first cell on the right was a young woman, dressed in rags and chained by her arms to the wall. Her beautiful, purple hair, her face, her arms, and her legs were matted with dirt, and there were bruises all over her body, indicating that she had been badly beaten. The four Senshi gasped and rushed to the outside of the cell to get a closer look at the poor girl.

"Are you alright?" Sailor Moon asked.

  
"Of course she's not alright, look at her!" Sailor Mars said, pointing to the anguished girl. "She's probably been tortured by that sick freak, Jekelai... don't worry, we'll get you out of there, okay?"

The girl looked up at the Senshi and nodded at them, tears streaming down her face. Sailor Mars pointed her finger at the door of the cell and blasted the lock with a burst of flames. As soon as the cage was opened, the four Senshi rushed inside to free the badly injured young woman.

"Oh.... oh, thank you... thank you so much..." said the girl as Sailor Mars blasted the chains around her arms, and Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus gently took her by the arms and began to carry her out of the cell. "I don't know... how I can ever... repay you..."

"Don't mention it," Sailor Jupiter said kindly, smiling and looking up into the girl's eyes. "We're the Sailor Senshi..."

"Yeah... saving people is what we do..." Sailor Venus said, also smiling. "We'll have you outta this stinky dungeon in a jiffy, okay?"

"I know... who you girls are," said the girl, who suddenly pulled free of Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus and stood inbetween them, looking back and forth between the two slightly stunned Senshi.

"Uh, okay..." Sailor Jupiter said, awkwardly. "If you can walk on your own, that's fine... we just don't want you to get hurt..."

"Oh, _you're _going to be the hurt ones, my pretties... mwahahaha!"

The girl spun around and punched Sailor Moon right in the jaw, sending her flying back into the cold, stony wall of the dungeon cell. The other three Senshi spun around to confront the belligerent woman, but were startled by a loud, violent crashing noise that caused all three Senshi to turn toward the entrance of the cell. The row of cells across the hall had been completely demolished as a large, black dragon had smashed its way into the room and was now standing in front of the three Senshi, confronting them and swishing its tail back and forth. Meanwhile, Sailor Moon, who had been temporarily knocked unconscious by the girl's attack, woke up to see her assailant standing over her weary form, smiling as Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus stepped back into the cell to escape the dragon.

"Do you like him, Sailor Moon?" asked the girl, whose bruises, dirt, and rags disappeared and were replaced by a skin-tight purple outfit that began just above her breasts and went all the way down to the bottom of her feet, like a jumpsuit. "You Senshi fall for the old 'crying girl in a dungeon' trick all the time, and now, my dragon and I have you right where we want you!"

---

For the past few minutes, Sammy and Ami had sat by the side of the pool, dangled their feet into the water, and gazed into each other's eyes. The experience of Ami's near-drowning had taken a lot of emotion out of both of them, and neither of them really had much to say after they had kissed once Sammy had been able to revive Ami. Finally, Sammy began to speak.

"Ami... even after what just happened... do you... I mean... still want to be with-"

"Sammy, of course I do," interjected Ami. "There's nowhere else in the world that I'd rather be than by your side... Sammy, what just happened... wasn't because of you... it was because-"

"I almost lost you, again...." Sammy said sadly, looking down at his own image, reflected from the pool below. "I know you say you love me, but... it's not just how you feel... I'm just so worried, Ami... I know you love me, but I love you too, and it seems like every time we get together, you get hurt... and I'm only barely able to help you, Ami. What happens when I don't get there on time? What happens then?"

Ami began to reply, but turned away from Sammy and looked down at her own reflection, deep in thought.

__

"Sammy knows I believe in him and I trust him to keep me safe... but... he doesn't trust himself," Ami thought. _"He still doubts his own strength... he knows I would give my life for him, but he... he just..."_

Suddenly, Ami felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and she turned her head to see Sammy smiling at her, trying to contain his worry as best as he could.

"I'm not afraid," Ami whispered, a gentle smile on her face. "Whatever happens to me, I-"

"I understand, Ami..." Sammy replied. "At least... I'm trying to. You're so much stronger than me, Ami..."

"What makes you think that?" Ami asked. "Sammy, I'm not sure if that's necessarily true..."

"Yes, it is... you are, Ami," Sammy said, finally smiling at her. "I can't control my emotions most of the time like you can... you're always so gentle and kind, and brave, no matter what's going on around you... even before the Dark Crystal came into my body, I'd fly off the handle, I'd start yelling, or crying... in a lot of ways, I'm still a little kid..."

"You were never a little kid to me, Sammy," Ami said, standing up at the side of the pool and helping Sammy to his feet, clutching his hands in hers and gently caressing his palms with the tips of her fingers.

"But you've always been more mature than me, Ami," Sammy said. "You-"

"You're catching up quickly, Sammy," Ami replied. "And I'm happy to wait, as long as it takes... but I love you just the way you are, Sammy... I'll always love you."

Ami and Sammy leaned in and kissed briefly. Then, the two slowly released each other's hands and began walking toward the locker rooms.

  
"Ami," Sammy said as he opened the door to the men's locker room, "when we're done changing, we'll go to the roof of my school, okay?"

"How will we get up there?" Ami asked. "They've got it closed off while they're rebuilding..."

"I'll find some way in," Sammy said, a sly smile across his face. "And then when we get up there, we can talk, okay?"

"Okay," Ami said, lightly nodding her head. "I always liked it up there... it was so peaceful..."

"And if any bad guys show up, no one else will get hurt, because we'll be the only ones around!" Sammy said cheerfully.

  
"Aren't you worried that I might get hurt?" Ami asked, rather jokingly.

"I'll protect you, Ami... and you're strong enough to protect me as well," Sammy replied. Ami nodded in agreement, and then the two lovers went into the locker rooms and closed the doors behind them.

---

Jekelai, wielding a glowing energy sword in each hand, charged Sparrow with incredible force, and slashed at her quicker than she could blink. Sparrow's fists lit up with bright energy flashes, and she used her ki aura to shield her fists from the blades as they came raining down on her with brutal speed. After several slashes, however, Jekelai's blade pierced her ki aura, and sliced a long gash across her palm, causing her to cry out in pain. Jekelai seized the opportunity to hit Sparrow in the throat with his elbow, knocking her backward. Sparrow clutched her neck, gasping for breath as Jekelai's energy swords disappeared and a powerful vortex of wind began circling around her.

"You were a fool to come back here, Sparrow Migoto!" Jekelai shouted. "You were lucky to escape the first time, and now you return to throw your life away!"

Sparrow caught her breath, but as she flew back toward Jekelai, she was caught in the winds, which whipped around her with incredible force, sending her flying up into the air, and ripping her 'Demoness' t-shirt into tatters, revealing her well-developed bust covered only by a small black bra.

  
"What is this madness?" Sparrow shouted, her terrified and angry words drowned out by the winds, screaming about her at hundreds of miles per hour. _"He's trying to use the wind to tear me apart!"_

Jekelai lifted his arms into the air, and the wind began to do just as Sparrow had predicted, their crushing force pulling one side of her body in one direction and the other side in the opposite direction, as Sparrow furiously struggled to escape the deadly tornado. Debris created by the powerful winds ripping apart the floor below began slamming into Sparrow, some pieces only the size of pebbles, while other chunks were as large as a fist. One particularly large one slammed into Sparrow's knee, shattering the bone and forcing a loud cry out of the powerful warrior, whose arms were being blown back too hard to massage her shattered leg.

__

"I'll die if I don't get out of here... I have to get out!"

Using an agonizingly large amount of her strength, Sparrow painstakingly reached for her katana, located in the large sheathe on her back. She finally gripped the handle of the blade, but as she tried to remove it from its sheathe, she realized that the blade was being held into place by the massive difference in air pressure between the inside of the sheathe and the whirling wind column on the outside. After a few seconds of desperate pulling, she finally removed the blade with a loud pop, and then whirled around, slashing the gigantic tornado cleanly in half. The huge funnel disappeared, and Sparrow quickly dropped to the ground, landing on her feet and sheathing her sword while trying to catch her breath. Jekelai stood just a few feet away, admiring Sparrow's effort while silently planning his next brutal attack.

"Excellent work, my sweet Sparrow... rest assured, however, that I have far more attacks where that one came from," Jekelai said.

"And if they're all as weak as that last one," Sparrow said, folding her arms across her chest and smiling, "then I guarantee that you're going to get your ass kicked."

Jekelai smirked, and then a slightly amused chuckle escaped from his lips.

"But first," Sparrow said, indicating her bra, "there's the small matter of covering myself, since this skimpy thing is allowing you to see far too much."

  
Sparrow blinked, and in an instant, her familiar breastplate had returned, to her chest, revealing only a minimal amount of cleavage.

"I still say that you dress like a contemptible whore, which is exactly what you are!" Jekelai shouted. Sparrow growled and clenched her fists again, enough to turn her tanned knuckles completely white.

"You will regret ever calling me that!" Sparrow screamed, rushing toward Jekelai, ready to strike him again.

---

__

"You're pathetic, Sparrow Migoto... absolutely pathetic!"

Jekelai spat in Sparrow's face, and since her wrists were firmly chained to the wall, she could do absolutely nothing to stop the cold saliva from streaking down her cheek and falling to the floor, forming a tiny puddle on the floor below. But instead of physically attacking Jekelai, which was unfortunately impossible for the once-powerful girl, she decided on a different approach to his cruelty. She began to laugh, and Jekelai raised his hand to slap her, but then stopped, instead wishing to know exactly why Sparrow was laughing.

"Tell me, Sparrow... why are you-"

"The humans on my planet," Sparrow said, smiling as if she was talking to an old friend rather than her hated tormentor, "would give anything to be in the position you're in right now, Jekelai."

"Would they really?" Jekelai asked. "Tell me, demon bitch... why exactly do you say that? How many of their villages did you torch? How many of their children did you slaughter?"

"That's the funny thing," Sparrow said, a smile still across her face. "Not a single one. They just hated me for who I was... a demoness. Jekelai, why do you hate me so? You can't possibly hate me for being a demon, since I obviously can't hurt you."

"That's not it, not it at all, my darling Sparrow... and I don't hate you," Jekelai replied. "I just wish you'd be a little bit more obedient. But after nearly four years of this, you still continue to defy me..."

Jekelai turned away from Sparrow. Suddenly, she began to speak, an intense rage forming in her words.

"You do hate me, Jekelai!" Sparrow snapped. "You've done nothing but hurt me, you've done nothing but try to crush my spirit! You're heartless, Jekelai... not capable of love, therefore, you must be capable of only hate!"

Jekelai stopped, and his lips began to quiver.

"She's right..." Jekelai thought to himself. "She's absolutely right. I do hate her... why does she have to be so stubborn? Why can't I break her? Dammit!"

Jekelai turned back toward Sparrow and pointed his finger right at her face.

"You say that any human from your planet would love to be in my position right now... well then, why don't I just bring one of those humans here and let them do whatever they wish to you? What would you say to that?"

"Go ahead," Sparrow said through clenched teeth.

  
"But then... wouldn't you hate them?" Jekelai asked. "A human from your own planet... you hated all of them, didn't you?"

"Why don't you bring one of them in and then you can find out?" Sparrow asked. "They can't do any worse than what you've done."

---

Sparrow's fist slammed into Jekelai's cheek, and Jekelai quickly countered with a punch of his own, striking Sparrow in her left eye and blackening it instantly. It hurt severely, and Sparrow could barely see out of it, but thankfully, it didn't swell shut, and within a few seconds, it was back to its full vision capability again. In those few seconds, Sparrow launched a stream of hundreds of deadly ki blasts at Jekelai. The blasts slammed into Jekelai and knocked him high up into the air, where Sparrow met him and slammed her fists into the back of his head, sending him plummeting toward the ground. Sparrow smiled as she heard Jekelai's pained yell, and extended her palms toward him, ready to fire the ki blast that could potentially finish him off. But before she could, Jekelai spun around, and Sparrow gasped.

__

"He recovered a second faster than I thought he would..." Sparrow thought. _"You son of a..."_

A long, glowing chain of dark energy extended from Jekelai's hands and quickly encircled Sparrow's wrists, binding them together and pulling Sparrow toward Jekelai. Sparrow, stunned by the quickness of the attack and too surprised to dodge, now furiously began to struggle away, but each time she did, the chains cut even deeper, until finally, Sparrow was pulled right in front of Jekelai, holding Sparrow's wrists by a foot-long chain in his right hand. He observed Sparrow's struggle for a moment, and then began to chuckle.

"Now... where have I seen _this _before, hmm?" Jekelai asked.

---

__

A few hours later, Jekelai had brought back a human from Sparrow's world, a tall man dressed in an ancient, robe-like Japanese garment. He was tall, but not as tall as Jekelai or Sparrow, and had a black mustache and short, dirty black hair. When he saw Sparrow, he gasped in shock, surprised to see the so-called 'legendary world-destroying demoness' in such a helpless position. Sparrow stared back at the man, an emotionless look on her face.

"Are you sure that's her?" asked the man, turning toward Jekelai.

"Of course she is," said Jekelai, with a nod. "She is the demoness that's been terrorizing your villages, is she not?"

"It's been nearly four years since anyone has seen her..." said the man, walking up to Sparrow to get a closer look. "My God, it IS her!"

"I told you," Jekelai said. "I am a demon hunter, scouring the worlds to purge vicious killers like this from the universe... although I must admit it was a shame to have to lock up such a beautiful demon as Sparrow... but what must be done must be done."

Sparrow wanted to say something to the man, knowing that Jekelai was clearly lying through his teeth. However, she knew that anything she said would fall on deaf ears, and though she was a strong and proud warrior, she still, deep within the back of her mind, feared retribution from Jekelai. So, as the man drew a large dagger from his waist and stepped up to Sparrow, she could only clench her teeth and close her eyes, preparing for the worst.

---

"You know, Sparrow," Jekelai said as Sparrow struggled to escape from the deadly energy chains, "I think you'd be pretty used to this by now..."

"Save it," Sparrow replied. "I'm not through with you yet!"

Sparrow flared up with energy, and shattered the chains in an instant, blinding Jekelai as her bright energy aura lit up the entire room. Before Jekelai could open his eyes, Sparrow had tackled him to the ground, and was now savagely pummeling his face, every single blow causing more pain to Jekelai than almost any blow that Sparrow had suffered at his hands during all her years of captivity. Finally, after sixteen progressively stronger punches, Sparrow leapt off of Jekelai and left his cowering, trembling form moaning in pain on the ground.

"And I'm _still _not through with you, Jekelai," Sparrow growled. "Get up... get up, right now!"

Weakly, Jekelai rose to his feet, and the beating he'd taken at the hands of Sparrow had been truly severe. Both of his eyes had been blackened, bruises covered his cheeks, and blood was trickling from his nose, his forehead, and the side of his lips. As a final testament to the powerful attack, two of Jekelai's teeth had been completely shattered, and several more of his teeth were damaged. Due to this, Jekelai's voice was slightly distorted as he began to speak.

"You think this... is enough to beat me?" Jekelai asked.

"No," Sparrow said. "If it was, I'd be pretty pissed off. I want you to _suffer_, Jekelai."

---

"Sailor Moon!" shouted the three Senshi to their leader as she faced off against the deadly, purple-clad mercenary. 

"Don't worry about me, I can take this trickster by myself!" Sailor Moon shouted. "You guys take care of the dragon, I know you can-"

Sailor Moon's words of encouragement were cut off as the purple-clad girl's hand squeezed over her face, her gloved fingers pressing into Sailor Moon's cheeks.

"Shut... the hell... up!" shouted the girl. "You... are so... annoying!"  


With a powerful toss, the girl threw Sailor Moon into the back wall of the dungeon. She crashed through its bricks and then disappeared into the wall, and the girl flew into the hole she'd made, giving chase. After several seconds, neither Sailor Moon or the girl came back, and the Senshi were gripped with worry.

"This is bad, you guys," Sailor Mars said fearfully. "Sailor Moon is-"

A loud roar from the dragon shocked the three Senshi right back to their senses, and they forgot about Sailor Moon, beads of sweat dripping down their faces as the prepared for the task at hand.

"Girls... let's kick this dragon's butt and go help Sailor Moon!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, rushing toward the huge, black dragon.

  
"Yeah!" shouted Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, eagerly rushing in to provide assistance.

---

Sailor Moon flew out of a dark, swirling energy gate and into a huge, circular space, surrounded by rows of benches. Another figure, the purple-clad girl from before, flew out with her, and then, the gate disappeared. Sailor Moon turned toward the ground and gazed into her eyes with a look of determination, her henshin stick transforming into the Sword of the Moon.

"You will not defeat me," Sailor Moon said. "I've beaten so many villains like you before, and now it's starting to get old! You're going down, Negawitch!"

"Such childish trash-talking," said the girl, walking toward Sailor Moon. "But if you think I'm going to face the Princess of the Moon, champion of justice, punisher of evil all by myself... well, take a look around."

Sailor Moon did just that, and as she looked around the coliseum, her eyes widened in horror. Hundreds of mercenaries, not just hooded ones, but of all different colors, shapes, and sizes appeared in the stands, and all of them looked ready to fight. They looked down at Sailor Moon, and many of them laughed as they sensed her intense fear.

__

"Oh my God, I've never faced so many youma at one time before... I'm finished!"

"Everyone, get her!" shouted the girl, floating up high above the coliseum and watching as the mercenaries raced down the steps and charged into the arena, all of them rushing at Sailor Moon at the same time, some of them trampling the others to reach her. As the deadly stampede drew near, Sailor Moon threw out her arms and formed a huge, glowing barrier around herself, desperately trying to hold the vile fiends back.

"None of you are getting through!" Sailor Moon shouted, struggling as she fought to keep up the barrier, sweat pouring down her face. Finally, one of the strongest mercenaries, his powerful muscles bulging as if they were about to explode, slammed his fist through the magical barrier, destroying it instantly. As the fiends rushed forth, Sailor Moon desperately swung her sword at the fiends, and she managed to cut up at least two dozen of them, the destroyed fiends disintegrating as the sword's powerful magically-enfused blade neatly dispatched the deadly monsters. But finally, the combined number of fiends was just too great for the Moon Princess. The sword was knocked from her hands, and soon, she was tackled to the ground, the ravenous mercenaries pushing her down while kicking and punching her at the same time. She was soon pinned to the ground, and it took fifteen of the strongest mercenaries to hold the thrashing Sailor Moon down. As Sailor Moon struggled in the grip of the deadly fiends, the purple-clad girl floated down to her and smiled a broad smile, happy that her cowardly gang-up tactics had triumphed over Sailor Moon.

"Well, this is just wonderful," said the girl, floating just inches above the trapped Moon Senshi. "I've beaten you, and quite easily, I might add."

"Oh, sure," Sailor Moon shouted, not even trying to contain her rage. "You win all your fights by having your small army do it for you... you're nothing but a cheating-"

"Would somebody _please _shut her the hell up?" said the girl in an annoyed tone, and immediately, one of the mercenaries clamped their hand over the furious Senshi's mouth. "That's better... your voice is so freaking annoying! Well, Sailor Moon, this _is _your lucky day. You're not going to die just yet, oh, no, no, no... you're going to be the centerpiece in Lord Jekelai's presentation to Sammy! It's quite an important little exhibit, and if everything goes according to plan, the Dark Crystal will be ours, and we can get out of this annoying little part of space. Did I ever mention that your planet really sucks, and I'm grateful every day that Jekelai doesn't deploy me there? Well, you know now."

Even more rage swelled within Sailor Moon's body, and she struggled even more to escape the grasp of the vicious mercenaries, screaming muffled curses at the purple-clad girl. Finally, she realized the hopelessness of her situation, and a tear began to flow down her face. The purple-clad girl smiled, and formed a small dimensional gate just above the coliseum.

  
"Take her away," said the girl. "I've got to go see how my dragon is doing!"

---

"It's time to meet one of your friends," said Sailor Jupiter, lightning forming in her fists. "Jupiter Thunder Dragon!"

A huge bolt of lightning in the shape of a long, slender dragon plowed into the black dragon, shocking it and causing it to let out a loud roar of pain.

"Funny, I thought dragons liked being with other dragons," Sailor Jupiter said, a smirk on her face.

"Guys, this thing takes up nearly half the room... we've gotta get to a bigger battleground if we want to have any chance of beating it!"

The other two Senshi nodded, and followed Sailor Mars out of the dungeon and up several flights of stairs, until finally, the three Senshi reached a large, carpeted room with several pictures hanging from the walls. The room was decorated with a golden chandelier, and a beautiful grand piano was in the corner of the room, its beautiful wooden surface painted completely white.

"I hate to trash such a lovely room," Sailor Venus said, "but we've gotta beat this dragon!"

  
"Say.... where is the dragon, anyway?" Sailor Jupiter asked, looking around. "Why didn't it follow us up the-"

A loud rumbling noise immediately alerted the Senshi to something very big, and sure enough, it was the dragon, flying up and crashing through the floor on the opposite side of the room, shattering the grand piano into pieces. The dragon's powerful wings began to flap, and it hovered in place across from the three Senshi, roaring loudly. Though this room was much bigger than the dungeon room, the dragon still took up about a sixth of the room's space, a very imposing presence indeed.

"Dragons typically like fire," Sailor Mars said, "but I still think this will work on him just fine! Mars Celestial Fire Surround!"

Eight burning rings of flame flew at the dragon. The dragon reared back its head and breathed off a large stream of its own fire, nullifying the effect of the rings and nearly singing the Senshi, as the long jet of flame reached back nearly completely across the room.

"Okay, that didn't work..." Sailor Mars said, slightly embarrassed.

"Venus... Arrow... of Beauty!" Sailor Venus shouted, firing off an arrow at the dragon before it even had the chance to recover from breathing its stream of flames. The arrow slammed right into the dragon's chest, and Sailor Venus let out a loud cry of victory, pumping her fists in approval as the tip of the arrow pierced the dragon's skin.

"I think you just beat it!" Sailor Mars cheered. "All right!"

But the Senshi's joy was short lived. As soon as the arrow had pierced the dragon's chest, it completely disappeared, leaving only a tiny puncture wound in the dragon's skin.

"Dammit!" Sailor Venus cursed. "I was so close..."

"Jupiter Axe Of Lightning!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, running at the dragon and tossing a lightning energy axe at its head. The other two Sailor Senshi nervously stayed behind, and the axe completely missed its mark as the dragon merely swerved its long head to the side, the axe whizzing harmlessly by.

"Sailor Jupiter, get back!" Sailor Venus shrieked. "Hurry!"

But the dragon was too quick for Sailor Jupiter. It reared back its head, and then snapped furiously forward, firing two deadly, rainbow-colored beams of energy from its eyes. The beams hit Sailor Jupiter and sent her flying back into the wall, Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus barely able to catch her.

"No, Sailor Jupiter!" Sailor Mars cried. "Are you alright?"

"Just.... fine..." Sailor Jupiter said weakly, smiling up at the two Senshi. "I..."

  
And then, her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She had fallen unconscious. The other two Senshi set Sailor Jupiter down on the ground and stepped forward to face the vicious beast.

"You'll pay for hurting our friend!" Sailor Mars said angrily. 

"It's time to clip your wings!" Sailor Venus shouted. "But first, so that you don't try to breathe any more fire at us... Venus Lovechain Encircle!"

  
Sailor Venus' golden chain flew up to the dragon and wrapped around its snout, sealing its mouth closed. But the dragon wouldn't take this lightly, and he began furiously thrashing, as Sailor Venus struggled to keep a grip on her energy chain.

"You've gotta hold him so I can get a clean shot!" Sailor Mars shouted.

  
"I'm trying, but I-"

  
With a powerful bucking motion, the dragon tossed Sailor Venus up into the air, and the chain completely disappeared. The dragon opened up its mouth, and Sailor Venus was helpless to stop herself from falling in. She disappeared into the mighty dragon's gaping maw as Sailor Mars stood watching in complete and utter horror.

  
"SAILOR VENUS!" Sailor Mars shouted desperately, collapsing to the floor on her knees. "Please, no..."

Suddenly, and without warning, the dragon spat Sailor Venus out, and she hit the floor next to Sailor Mars, unconscious. Sailor Mars knelt over the body of her fallen friend, trying her best to continue fighting.

"I won't let you guys down..." Sailor Mars said, turning back toward the dragon. "I'm the last one left... I can't let you guys down!"

The dragon reared its head back, and Sailor Mars knew it was going to breathe another deadly stream of fire. 

"C'mon..." Sailor Mars said, courageously facing down the huge beast. "You hurt my friends... you're mine!"

The dragon spewed forth a giant, blazing beam of fire from its mouth, all of the flames heading straight for Sailor Mars. She pointed her arms outward at the flame, tears streaming down her face as adrenaline completely overcame her. 

"For all of my friends.... MARS ULTIMATE INFERNO!"

A huge burst of flame rushed outward from Sailor Mars' hands, meeting the dragon's flame and pushing it backward, toward the roaring beast. The dragon was already at its maximum level of strength, and as Sailor Mars' flames reached its mouth, the dragon roared one last time, more of a painful scream than an actual roar. A huge explosion engulfed both the dragon and Sailor Mars, and then a large red flash. When the smoke cleared, the dragon was gone, completely obliterated by Mars' attack. Sailor Mars herself was on the ground, unconscious like her friends, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus. Unlike them, Sailor Mars had a smile on her face... she knew that she had won. Her face was wet from tears and sweat, and the three Senshi remained unconscious as the purple-clad mercenary reappeared in the room. As she sensed the death of her beloved dragon, she screamed a scream of pure rage, and walked over to the unconscious Sailor Mars.

"You... you bitch!" the mercenary screamed, kicking Sailor Mars in the side. "HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU!"

The mercenary continued to kick Sailor Mars, whose unconscious body absorbed the blows relentlessly. Finally, the girl stopped her assault of the Senshi of Flame and let out another loud scream.

  
"If Jekelai didn't want you alive, you'd be DEAD! You hear me? DEAD!" 

The girl sighed.

  
"No matter," said the mercenary. "Phase one of this mission is complete..."

---

"Hellish Incendiary!" Jekelai shouted, flying up above Sparrow and tossing a gigantic, burning fireball directly at her head.

"Glacier Zero!" Sparrow shouted back, tossing a huge, glowing ball of magical ice at Jekelai's fireball. The two magical blasts collided, creating a huge pillar of discharged magical energy that engulfed both Jekelai and Sparrow. They both screamed at once, loud, painful screams of agony, as the huge rush of magical energy battered their bodies. They both hit the ground next to one another, and climbed to their feet at almost the same instant.

"It's going exactly as it did... one year ago..." Jekelai said, blood dripping down his face.

"With one... difference..." Sparrow groaned. "This time... you die..."

  
Conjuring up new strength seemingly out of thin air, Sparrow ran forward and punched Jekelai in the face as hard as she could. At the start of the battle, the blow would prove to be a minor annoyance for Jekelai, but now, it devastated him, knocking him to the ground, flat on his back. Sparrow ran over to strike another blow, but when Jekelai responded by kicking Sparrow in the stomach, the attack sapped a huge amount of energy from her battered body, and she fell to the ground as well, wincing in pain. The two warriors again rose to their feet, and their weak auras flared up once more, as they prepared to attack each other yet again.

"This is fruitless.... we'll kill each other... my dear Sparrow," Jekelai said, hacking up blood.

"You're going down first... I swear... you'll pay!"

Sparrow was again the first to strike, and she lunged forward with another punch at Jekelai's face. He ducked under the punch and tried to elbow her in the chin, but Sparrow saw Jekelai's attack and caught him by the elbow, spinning him around and trying to knock him down once more. Jekelai retained his balance, however, landing on one foot and striking at Sparrow with the other. Sparrow didn't see the kick coming, and Jekelai's foot struck her in the chest, knocking her to the ground. She let out a loud scream of pain as her ankle hit the ground and twisted under her, adding to the pain already plaguing her as an affect of her shattered knee, which had only slowly begun to mend itself during the battle. As Sparrow lay on the ground, weak and in an immense amount of pain, Jekelai fell on top of her and punched her hard in the face, sending shockwaves of agony through Sparrow's entire body.

"How does THAT feel?" Jekelai shouted. Sparrow gritted her teeth, ignoring the metallic taste of blood now omnipresent in her mouth. "I should have KILLED you, Sparrow Migoto! You hear me? I should have KILLED you!"

Sparrow looked up at Jekelai, and saw in his eyes the same intense, hateful rage that she saw during all of those years in his captivity. The viciousness, the brutality, it was all still there... every negative emotion Sparrow had felt came flooding back, all at once... 

"Everything you did to me.... punching, kicking, choking, scratching, torturing, insulting, and so on... and so forth...." Sparrow growled, her rage clouding out nearly every other thought in her head. "All the things you did to others... Sammy, and Ami, and Serena, and Rei, and Lita, and Mina, and Rick, and Mika, and Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino, and Miss Haruna... everyone you've hurt, tortured, killed... I represent their anger... their hatred... their vengeance, tears, and blood... _their vendetta is MY VENDETTA, Jekelai... _NOW DIE!"

Sparrow pressed her palms against Jekelai's chest and screamed, sending a huge wave of ki surging through his midsection. Jekelai let out a cry of pain and flew up into the air, a smoking hole burning its way through his chest. Finally, Sparrow's ki blast ceased, and Jekelai fell to the ground next to Sparrow, a smoldering wound in the center of his body. Sparrow, unable to get up from the ground, all of her energy completely spent, simply smiled.

__

"It's over..." Sparrow thought. _"This battle... is over... Jekelai is... defeated at last..."_

---

__

The human whom Jekelai had mercilessly sent to torture Sparrow had taken full advantage of the opportunity, his dagger cutting large gashes across her face, chest, arms, and legs. Sparrow made not a sound through the entire ordeal, though she had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming out because of the pain. The man laughed as he inspected his handiwork, but Jekelai simply looked on, emotionless, as the man raised his blade to Sparrow's throat. As Sparrow felt the cold blade cutting into her neck, she could no longer hold in her pain, and a tear escaped her lips, falling to the ground below. Jekelai saw Sparrow's tear, and immediately grabbed the man by his wrist.

"Stop," Jekelai said. "You've done enough."

"But... but I have to kill her!" the man shouted angrily. "She's a vicious demon, and-"

"I said ENOUGH!" Jekelai shouted. He blasted the man in the back with a bolt of energy, killing him in an instant. The man fell to the ground, and the dagger dropped from his hand onto the floor. When Jekelai looked back up at Sparrow, tears were streaming down her face, and as he heard Sparrow's quiet sobs, an intense and unfamiliar feeling of remorse began surging through his body. He had never seen Sparrow cry before, and now, he wondered why. Slowly, he began wiping blood away from her face, and Sparrow turned her head away.

"Stop..." Sparrow sobbed. "Don't... don't... just stop!"

"Why are you crying?" Jekelai asked, a tiny bit of sympathy in his voice. "You never cried when I-"

"A human..." Sparrow sobbed. "I didn't want... to be killed... by a human..."

"I'm a human," Jekelai said. "So why-"

  
"You're a monster!" Sparrow shouted, even more angrily than before. "You're not a human, you're a sick, vile monster! Stop trying to act like you're sorry! You're not! You're a vicious monster, and I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, I... I..."

Sparrow fell unconscious, the pain from her wounds too much for the young demoness to bear. Jekelai gently reached up to her face and wiped away her tears, but then, as soon as he finished, he stopped.

"Why... why did I do that?" Jekelai said to himself. "Why did I kill the human who was hurting her? Why did I... why did I actually feel remorse? This has never happened to me before... what I'm doing... what I'm doing is wrong... why am I hurting you, Sparrow Migoto? Why am I doing these things.... why am I hurting the woman I lo.... NO!"

Jekelai slapped the unconscious Sparrow across the face. Then he turned and exited the dungeon.

---

"Why am I.... why am I... why-"

"Lord Jekelai!" shrieked the purple-clad mercenary girl, standing above her fallen master, Jekelai and looking at the large hole in his chest. "What happened?"

"Sp....Sparrow... damn... you.... I can't believe... I'm going to..."

  
"Perhaps this will help," said the girl. Suddenly, four large energy spheres appeared, one at each corner of the room. The pink sphere contained the unconscious body of Sailor Moon, suspended in the energy sphere by an unseen magical force. The red sphere contained Sailor Mars, in similar condition. The green sphere contained Sailor Jupiter, and the orange sphere contained Sailor Venus. Suddenly, bright flashes of light began emanating from the fallen Senshi, and a warm glow engulfed Jekelai's body. The four Senshi all woke up at once, and began screaming loudly, seemingly in great pain. At the same time, the large wound in Jekelai's chest rapidly began to close, and then sealed up completely. The wounds and bruises on his body completely disappeared, and even his teeth were fully restored. Once Jekelai had been restored to full health, the spheres stopped glowing, and the Senshi fell unconscious once more.

"Excellent," said Jekelai, floating up into the air and smiling as his observed his fully-restored body. "I must remember to thank the Senshi for their generous donation of life force... I only hope that some is still left to scream for Sammy when I finally extract the Dark Crystal!"

"You won't extract.... anything..." Sparrow said, weakly rising to her feet. She had been arisen by the Senshi's screams, but while Jekelai's body had been fully restored, Sparrow was still badly wounded and barely able to stand. "Let... them... GO!"

"How... about... NO?" the girl said mockingly, blasting Sparrow with a large beam of energy and knocking her unconscious, then lifting the unconscious Sparrow into the air and forming a white energy sphere around her, suspending her body in magical energy like the other Senshi.

"Excellent work, Emperius..." Jekelai said, commending the purple-clad mercenary for her efforts. "I knew you could take care of the Senshi for me."

  
"Was there ever any doubt?" Imperius said with a giggle. "But I lost my poor pet dragon..."

"You will have your chance for revenge soon enough... I will allow you a front-row seat for the Senshi's suffering," Jekelai said. "But for now, rest up... I shall go bring Sammy here myself."

---

Sammy and Ami sat on the roof of Crossroads Junior High for nearly an hour, talking and kissing, just like they had done in the pool at the recreational center. The threat of Jekelai attacking was buried deep within their minds, but they didn't let fear stop them from being in love... and they knew they never would.

"Sammy, did I ever tell you the time I faced Japan's national chess champion?" Ami asked, sitting on the top of one of the benches next to Sammy, her hand gripping his.

"Tell me, Ami... please?" Sammy asked, looking up into her eyes with that same, carefree smile that he'd worn ever since he met Ami, more than three years ago.

"Well, Sammy... I was pretty intimidated coming into the match... it was part of a charity exhibition, and he was taking on all comers... he didn't know about me, but I'd studied a lot of his games, and I came into the match really expecting I'd win."

"What happened, Ami?" asked Sammy.

"About sixty moves in, he offered me a draw... I had the winning position, and I actually knew I did, but..."

"But... you didn't take the draw, did you, Ami?" 

Ami nodded meekly.

"Oh, Ami...."

Sammy smiled.

"You're a lot more brave now, though... I know that if you guys played the game again, you'd win for sure!"

"Thank you, Sammy," Ami said. "Actually, I've entered the Japanese Open... it's supposed to take place in two weeks, and I'd be honored if you'd come with me... you know, to cheer me on?"

"Of course I'll come with you, Ami... and I know you'll win," Sammy said. Ami smiled back at Sammy, and kissed him on the forehead.

"You could probably enter too, Sammy...." Ami said.

  
"I would, but... what if I had to play you?" Sammy asked. "I know you'd probably beat me, but... but... but..."

  
Ami giggled.

  
"Sammy, I'd be delighted if you won! I mean, I'd try my hardest, and of course even if I lost to you, I'd be disappointed, but-"

"But if you had to lose to someone... you'd want it to be me, right?" 

Ami nodded again.

"Ami, do you remember the first time we met?" Sammy asked. "I mean, way back... I think it was just after Sailor Mars joined you guys."

"I sort of remember it... I know it was when Serena and Rei and I were at Serena's house having a slumber party, and you and your friends were out at the movies..."

"And when I came back, Serena and Rei grabbed me," Sammy said, his face beginning to pout.

"Oh, I remember now!" Ami said, and she began to giggle.

  
"It's not funny," Sammy replied, glaring at Ami. "You know what happened. They tied me up, and put one of Serena's smelly socks in my mouth, and then-"

  
"They started putting makeup all over you..." Ami said, still trying to stifle a giggle. "And then...."

"And then you came in," Sammy said, and a smile came across his face. "And you were struggling not to laugh, but you really did try your best to act mad."

"Well, of course I was mad," Ami said, smiling back at Sammy. "How could somebody do that to their little brother?"

"So then you untied me, and cleaned all the makeup off of my face, and then you said that if Serena and Rei bothered me again, that I had to come to you and tell you about it.... Ami, you risked your friendship with Serena and Rei to-"

  
"No, I didn't," Ami said. "I knew they wouldn't get too mad at me... and plus, they were about ready to let you go anyway. And I was the one who kept Serena from getting grounded for a week..."

  
"That's because you made me promise not to tell mom or dad," Sammy said. "And I said okay because... because... because I was glad that you saved me."

Ami smiled warmly, and kissed Sammy on the cheek.

"Well, from another ten minutes of embarrassment, maybe..." Ami said. "But... you've saved my life, Sammy..."

"And you've saved mine, too," Sammy said. "It wasn't just the time you saved me from Serena and Rei! Ami, you're... you're like a guardian angel... a beautiful, sweet, wonderful guardian angel... I love you so much..."

  
"Oh, Sammy..."

And once again, Sammy and Ami kissed deeply, passionately, affectionately, their lips mingling for at least ten seconds before they finally broke off the kiss and looked into each other's eyes as the sun slowly set behind them.

"I love you, Ami..."

"And I love you, Sammy..."

And then, the gate reappeared, right in front of the two lovers. They turned to face it, and immediately, Ami transformed into Sailor Mercury, ready for anything about to emerge from the gate. Sammy, who had taken his sword with him both to the pool and now to the roof, pointed it toward the gate, reading to protect Ami just as much as Ami was ready to protect him. Jekelai emerged from the gate, and Sammy immediately rushed him, but was stopped when Jekelai held out his hand and shot out another paralyzing wave of energy, stopping Sammy in his tracks.

"Ami, run!" Sammy shouted. 

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Sailor Mercury yelled, blasting Jekelai with wave after wave of magical energy. The attack was more potent than usual, and Jekelai was nearly pushed into the gate as every wave hit him, causing him to wince slightly in pain.

"You're fighting with much more passion than usual, Mercury... it will be necessary if you wish to save the lives of your friends!" Jekelai shouted.

"Let them go!" Sailor Mercury screamed.

"You'll have to come to my palace and get them... that's all I will say for now," Jekelai said, backing into the gate. It remained open, swirling in front of Sammy and Sailor Mercury and beckoning them inside.

"Jekelai, you bastard!" Sammy shouted into the gate. "I-"

"Let's go, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, taking Sammy by the hand and pulling him toward the gate. "We... we have to save them!"

  
"I know... my sister... my friends... Sparrow... but I know he's just inviting us in there to hurt us! To hurt you! It's a trap, Ami, and...."

Sammy paused for a moment, and Ami didn't respond, choosing to let Sammy finish what he had to say.

"And I'm ready... and I need you, Ami," Sammy said. "I love you..."

Sailor Mercury smiled, and kissed once more on the lips. Then, Sammy and Ami, tightly clasping each other's hand, leapt into the gate together, as it closed behind them one final time.

---

"This is it..." said Jekelai, walking up to Sparrow's sphere. She was the only one of the five unconscious warriors who had reawakened, and she was glaring at Jekelai, still as enraged as ever. "This is the hour of reckoning."

  
"So, I am merely a pawn to you now, Jekelai?" Sparrow spat. "Is that what I am to you?"

"You are more than that, Sparrow Migoto..." Jekelai said, his expression softening. "While I was asleep... you know what I realized?"

"What... was... that?" Sparrow growled through clenched teeth. "Did you have another one of your perverted dreams about me or something?"

"I did hate you, Sparrow... but at the same time... while you were my captive, I... it just happened one day, Sparrow," Jekelai said. "I felt remorse, every time I hurt you. Every time I wanted to rape you, or kill you, something stopped me. And do you know what stopped me, Sparrow? Do you? Can you guess?"

"No," Sparrow whispered, shaking her head.

  
"Yes," Jekelai replied. "I love you, Sparrow Migoto."

---

Woooo, what a chapter... I seriously CANNOT keep that quality of writing up. Or... can I? This is what happens when I'm not lazy, people. I'm capable of stuff like this, better than the legends of writing *cough*Ace Sanchez*cough*. If I wrote the wrote Trunks/Ami sequel this good, it could go 200,000 words, easy... whoa. ^_^ So, what didja think? I must get some reviews for this. 9,000 words, I expect at LEAST 9 reviews. I mean, that's what, 1,000 words per review? Egh, I'll write the next chap even if I don't get any reviews... this is a labor of love. Wait, forget I just said that! ^_^ Pwease review!


	19. Vessel Of The Dark Crystal

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

Sammy and Sailor Mercury emerged from the gate inside a large room, lit by candelabras that lined the walls. They were standing in the middle of the room, where a large, red rug lay just underneath their feet, stretching out from the large, golden doors behind them to the huge opening ahead of them that led into the next room. 

"This must be the entrance hall," Sammy said, looking around at the well-decorated room. "He's making us start here?"

"He's probably going to try and attack us before we reach him," Sailor Mercury said, an angry frown on her face. "What a contemptible coward."

  
"Ami, maybe you should use your visor to scan for enemies," Sammy advised. "That way, we-"

  
"My VR Visor was broken a while ago, remember?" Sailor Mercury said, thinking back on her battles with Ceyra and Yeika. "I still haven't been able to fix it yet."

"Oh... I see," Sammy said, looking down sadly. "Ami, when all of this is over... can I... can I help you fix your VR Visor? I mean, it's really cool, and-"

Sailor Mercury giggled. All of her little gadgets and gizmos were still 'cool' to Sammy, bless his little heart...

"Of course you can," Sailor Mercury said, smiling at him. "I'll really appreciate your help, Sammy... all of those complicated parts and tools, I'll need someone to help me find the right ones."

"Thank you, Ami," Sammy said graciously. "Well... should we go ahead?"

Sailor Mercury nodded, and the two walked forward into the next room. As the two walked, Sammy could feel the Dark Crystal's familiar energy aura, pulsating inside of him. Over the last few days, the crystal had given him so much power... power to protect Ami, the girl he loved... and Sammy knew that she'd probably be dead without it. For a brief moment, a thought entered his mind: 'What if the crystal wasn't around anymore? Could I still protect Ami without the strength it gives me?'

__

"No," Sammy thought, as he and Sailor Mercury began walking up a long, spiraling flight of stairs. _"That strength is evil... I don't want it, I don't need it... I can protect Ami on my own!"_

The stairs were steep and narrow, with no guardrails to prevent someone from falling off, a potential tragedy, especially at the thirty feet or so off the ground that Sammy and Sailor Mercury now were. One false step, and...

"Sammy!" Sailor Mercury shouted, grabbing Sammy around the chest and clutching him to her body. While Sammy's thoughts clouded his mind, his feet had lost their sense of direction, and he had inadvertently stepped off the side of the stairs. Sailor Mercury had caught him at the last minute. "Oh my gosh, Sammy, are you okay?"

Sammy turned around and looked up at Sailor Mercury's face, drenched with beads of sweat. Her lips were trembling, and Sammy could hear her heart, pounding at nearly three beats a second. He gasped as he realized what had just about happened to him.

"Ami... thank you..." Sammy said, rendered speechless by Sailor Mercury's act of heroism. "I... I'll be more careful next time... I was just thinking..."

"Were you thinking... about your sister?" Sailor Mercury asked, completely missing the mark. "And Rei, and Lita, and Mina, and Sparrow? Sammy... they'll be fine, I know they will... we just have to hurry, okay?"

Sammy nodded, not willing to tell Ami that he'd almost died because he was thinking of her. He gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek, and the two finally reached the top of the stairs. They had ventured up to a carpeted balcony, and there was a large, wooden door just a few feet in front of them. They looked to the sides, where they saw two openings, one to the left, and one to the right. Behind them, all the way across the vast balcony, was one last opening.

"Where should we go first?" Sammy asked.

---

Meanwhile, at the very top of Jekelai's fortress, in the throne room containing Jekelai's five hostages, Sparrow's reaction to Jekelai's revelation had been exactly what he had expected.

"You're a liar!" Sparrow shouted, her anger clearly visible through the white energy barrier surrounding her body. "You're nothing but a liar... you can't possibly love me! Not after everything you did to me!"

"That's why... that's why it's taken so long to get these words out, Sparrow," Jekelai replied. "Slowly, even while my hatred has festered inside my body, my love for you has grown... I've hurt you so much, caused you so much pain... and now I don't know why."

"I'll tell you why," Sparrow said through clenched teeth. "Because you... you're a sick monster!"

Sparrow punched at Jekelai, but her fist met only the white barrier imprisoning her, causing sharp pain to shoot through Sparrow's entire hand. She growled and pulled it back, keeping her angry gaze fixated on Jekelai the entire time.

"I don't care... if I only have... ten percent of my energy left," Sparrow growled, her body still slowly healed the wounds she had sustained in her battle with Jekelai. "But when I get out of here... I will tear you apart! Mark my words, I will tear you apart!"

"Sparrow..." Jekelai said, looking away from her. "You always were a... a..."

"Say it, Jekelai," Sparrow replied. "Call me one of those names that you would call me every single hour of every single day of my captivity. Do it."

"Sparrow..." Jekelai said again, his mind frantically struggling to find something to say to his angry captive. "In time... you will understand."

Jekelai walked away from Sparrow and back toward his throne, sitting down to await Sammy and Sailor Mercury's arrival. Sparrow punched the wall of the barrier again, and then sat down on the barrier's rounded floor and closed her eyes.

__

"After all of those years... it's not possible," Sparrow thought. _"Is it? He shows no remorse at all for anything he did, and yet he says that he loves me... now I don't know what to think."_

---

"Let's go through these doors," Sailor Mercury replied stoically. "We can't waste too much energy on walking... but if it looks like there's nothing in here, we'll try one of the other ways."

Sammy nodded, and he and Sailor Mercury pushed against the large door until it swung open, allowing the two to go inside. Inside the room, lit only by a dim, white light, was a vast expanse, about fifty feet long and fifty feet wide. At the end of the expanse were rows of seats, placed in rows and going up in a stadium pattern, about twenty rows of seats up. In the middle of the seats, about ten rows up, was a small balcony where someone could walk out and face the entrance. Sammy and Sailor Mercury looked up to see that the seats were facing a large, projection screen, about twelve feet by twelve feet. 

"This must be Jekelai's personal movie theatre," Sammy said, walking across the room to the rows of seats. "I wonder what he watches?"

"Sammy," Sailor Mercury scolded, walking toward him. "This is no time for movie night... we've gotta get going... our friends are in trouble!"

"Relax, Ami..." Sammy said, walking up into the rows of seats. "I'm just looking around... maybe they're keeping the Senshi tied up under some of these seats. We'd never look there!"  


"Sammy, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Sailor Mercury said, beginning to get annoyed. She followed Sammy up into the seats. "We need to go check out one of the other passageways. "

"Alright, alright..." Sammy said, walking over to the balcony and leaning over the edge to look at the blank screen. "But you've got to admit, this would be a pretty cool way to see a movie..."

Sailor Mercury began to scold Sammy again, but this time, she paused, and simply walked over to the balcony to stand next to him. She leaned out over the edge, and remembered the time that she and Sammy had gone to see the opera... they had balcony seats, and it was just like this, except for the room being much bigger. She looked over at Sammy, who had a serene expression on his face, with a hint of sadness. 

__

"He is _thinking about them..." _Sailor Mercury thought. _"He's just... trying to get a break from all of this... he's had enough fighting, enough fear, enough pain... more than any of us should have to endure... oh, Sammy..."_

Sailor Mercury removed one of her gloves and gently stroked down the side of Sammy's cheek with her soft, tender hand. He responded to the stimulus and slowly turned his face toward hers, gazing at his love, a calm smile appearing on his lips.

"I love you, Ami," Sammy whispered gently. "And I won't let you or any of my friends get hurt... ever again."

"I know, Sammy," she whispered back, continuing to stroke his face. "I believe in you... I love you."

At that moment, images began to flash on the screen. Sammy and Sailor Mercury's attention turned away from each other's faces and toward the screen, where a vivid sequence of events was taking placed, images coalescing and turning into a grainy movie, in full color. Sound began to be beamed into the room, not from speakers, but, in some strange way, directly into Sammy and Sailor Mercury's heads. As the events unfolded on screen, Sailor Mercury immediately recognized what was being portrayed.

  
"That's... that's me... running from one of Beryl's soldiers... in the Negaverse!"

"Ami, what is this?" Sammy asked her, worry appearing on his face. "Is this one of your past battles?"

"This is.... Sammy, this is the first time that I-"

The images on the screen spoke for themselves, as Sailor Mercury's battle against Beryl's minions flashed before Sammy's eyes on the screen, right up to her painful death. As the scene ended, and the screen turned black, a tear slid down Sammy's face.

"Sammy, we already talked about this... that was a long time ago... I'm safe now, Sammy..."

  
"But... but... I never... actually saw... what happened to you..." Sammy said, struggling to hold back tears. "Ami, I-"

"It's a good thing you remember Ami's death," came a female voice, booming throughout the room. "Because those who forget the past are destined to repeat it!"

Across the room, about twenty feet away from the balcony, a dark energy gate opened, and a purple-haired girl floated out, into the room. A smile was on her face.

"Who are you?" Sammy shouted angrily. "And why did you show me this?"

__

"And how?" Sailor Mercury thought to herself. _"No one was there to witness my death..."_

"I probed your mind, Sammy Tsukino, and pieced together all of your nightmares... one of my many, many talents," said the girl. "My name is Emperius, the finest sorceress of all of Jekelai's mighty mercenaries. I'm the one who defeated your dear sister and her foolish friends."

"You WITCH!" Sammy shouted, his dark energy flaring up. He climbed up the guardrail and prepared to leap off the balcony. "I'll tear you apart!"

"Sammy, no!" Sailor Mercury screamed, pulling Sammy back. "You'll be killed!"

"You're the one that needs to worry about being killed, Sailor Mercury, " Emperius said. "Because this time, Sammy won't be here to help you!"

In an instant, a swirling cloud of energy encircled Sammy and dragged him into Emperius' dark gate. Then, the gate sealed shut.

"SAMMY!" Sailor Mercury screamed in an anguished cry. "Where did you-"

"The coliseum, where poor Sailor Moon met with her defeat," Emperius said. "And now, it will be where Sammy meets his. But now, we have more... pressing matters to deal with. I shall finish you off, Sailor Mercury... Jekelai has authorized me to tear out your throat. Won't it be lovely when Sammy comes back to see your corpse, bleeding on the ground? And it will be all... his.... fault."

Sailor Mercury stepped back from the balcony, realizing Emperius' plans. She curled her fists and steeled herself for a one-on-one showdown. 

__

"Sammy said that he trusts me... to be able to fight my own battles... I have to defeat Emperius... and then I have to save Sammy from that horrible place he's been sent to!"

"Mercury... Aqua... Rhapsody!"

A freezing wave of water flew at Emperius, who stuck her palm out in front of it and fired a purple energy sphere through the wave, disintegrating it. The energy sphere continued forward, and slammed into Sailor Mercury's chest, sending her flying back into a row of seats. She cried out as her back impacted the hard, metallic surface, but kept her composure and quickly got to her feet. Emperius floated over to the balcony and smiled at Sailor Mercury as she looked up at the water Senshi from five rows down.

"Aren't you going to come down here and play?" Emperius cooed. "C'mon, Sailor Mercury... I won't bite!"

---

Meanwhile, Sammy had ended up face down on the hard, dirt floor of the coliseum. As he coughed up dust from his lungs, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings. He was in the middle of a desolate ruin, with not a soul in sight.

"Ami?" Sammy shouted, beginning to look around frantically. "Ami? Oh, Ami, please be alright... AMI!!!"

Suddenly, the seats began filling with mercenaries, exactly as they had done with Sailor Moon. Within seconds, hundreds of mercenaries filled the stands, all of them vicious and ready to tear Sammy to shreds.

__

"What... what's going on?" Sammy thought in horror. _"Jekelai's got his entire army after me... AMI!!!"_

"Looks like your girlfriend's not here to save you, little boy!" jeered one of the mercenaries from the stands. 

"It was so easy taking down your sister! She's such a weak little bitch!" shouted another one of the mercenaries, immediately filling Sammy with rage. The Dark Crystal within his body began pulsating, rapidly pumping a large amount of dark magical energy to every part of his body.

"How dare you! How dare you gang up on my sister like that!" Sammy shouted, rage permeating his voice. _"I have to beat these guys and get to Ami..."_

"Let's get him!"

Suddenly, a roaring stampede filled the coliseum, as the hundreds of mercenaries poured out of the stands, all of them running toward Sammy. Sammy unsheathed his sword and stood his ground in the center of the arena, his body glowing with an incredible black aura.

__

"It's hopeless..." Sammy thought. _"There's no escape... I'm doomed... I'm... NO! I have to destroy all of these fiends! They have to pay for what they did to my sister! They have to pay! They all have to pay... don't worry, Ami... I'm coming!"_

---

Sailor Mercury began chanting another attack again, hoping that it would be more successful than the first attack had been.

"Mercury... Bubbles... Blast!"

A stream of bubbles shot out, surrounding Emperius in a dense mist, and an even denser fog. Just when Sailor Mercury thought she had blinded the evil mercenary, a huge, purple shockwave shot out from Emperius' body, dissipating the fog in an instant. Emperius stood on the balcony, sneering at Sailor Mercury as her nervousness and fear began to show.

"I knew you'd be scared, Sailor Mercury..." Emperius said, preparing another deadly attack. "Don't worry... it'll all be over soon."

Emperius lifted one of her arms, clenched her hand into a fist, and pulled it to her chest. Immediately, an incredible jolt shocked Sailor Mercury's body, causing her to cry out again and collapse to her knees. Emperius pointed her other arm at Sailor Mercury, and blasted her with another purple energy sphere, knocking her up into the air and backwards, slamming her into the seventh row of seats. This time, the water Senshi slumped to the ground, and this time, she didn't get up. Emperius smirked, and began walking up the rows of seats to inspect her handiwork. She walked down the row until she reached the fallen form of Sailor Mercury, who was lying flat on her face on the cold, stone floor. 

"Just as I thought," Emperius said. "Jekelai told me you were the weakest of the Senshi, and it really, really shows."

Lying on the cold ground, barely conscious, the anguished blue-haired Senshi could think only about Sammy, and how terrible his reaction to her death would be.

__

"I can't... do this..." Mercury thought. _"But... I have to win... I have to win this battle! For Sammy, to whom I promised that I would be safe... and for myself... I can't let myself be pushed around anymore!"_

Suddenly, Sailor Mercury's left hand flew up, and clamped around Emperius' left ankle, squeezing it tightly.

"Awww, trying to get up, are we?" Emperius said viciously, lifting her other foot above Sailor Mercury's head. "Well, we'll see about-"

Suddenly, with an incredible burst of strength, Mercury released her hold on Emperius' ankle and leapt to her feet, her fear replaced by anger, evident by the angry scowl on her face. Before Emperius could even look up to face Sailor Mercury, Mercury's fist slammed right into the stunned mercenary's nose, knocking her backward several steps. Sailor Mercury leapt back and pointed her arms at Emperius, fueled by her newfound determination.

"Mercury... Ice... Javelin!" Sailor Mercury shouted, launching several deadly spears of ice at Emperius. Emperius tried to block them with an energy shield, but the javelins quickly punctured the barrier and slashed across Emperius' face and midsection, causing her to step back even more.

"How is she doing this?" Emperius shouted to herself. She looked up at Sailor Mercury, who was now running straight in her direction, like a runaway freight train. "Grrr... bring it on!"

  
Emperius formed an energy sphere in each hand, and tossed them both at Sailor Mercury at the same time. Mercury dodged one to the side, and then ducked under the second. She leapt up at Emperius and launched a spinning kick, right at the mercenary's face. The kick found its mark, and Emperius was sent flying, down the seven rows of seats and off the balcony to the floor below, landing on her back with a loud thud. Sailor Mercury wasted no time, running down to the balcony and leaping off after Emperius. She leapt down and put her two feet together, slamming both of them into Emperius' stomach. Emperius let out a loud, gasping breath as Sailor Mercury's heeled shoes came crashing down into her gut. Then, Sailor Mercury, her strength spent from that incredible assault, bent down on one knee next to the downed body of Emperius and began gasping for breath.

__

"That one was for you, Sammy..." Sailor Mercury thought, a smile on his face. _"Please be safe, wherever you are..."_

"This... isn't over yet... Sailor Mercury!" Emperius shouted, rising to her feet. Her entire body lit up with a bright, purple aura, and Sailor Mercury had to take several steps back to avoid being overwhelmed by the sudden rush of energy. "You're history!"

---

As the hundreds of deadly warriors drew ever closer to Sammy, he held out his sword in front of his body and turned in a 360 degree circle so that he could size up all of his adversaries at once.

"I'm warning you.... YOU'RE ALL DEAD!" Sammy shouted as the first wave of mercenaries rushed toward him. Like his sister before him, Sammy fought valiantly, clearing out several of his foes quickly by slashing them to pieces with his sword. But soon, Sammy too was overwhelmed, and one of the mercenaries managed to tackle him to the ground, with several more diving upon him soon after that. Soon, there were more than a dozen of them pinning Sammy to the ground. One tore the sword from his hands and struck him hard in the face, causing Sammy's nose to begin to drip blood. Sammy let out an anguished cry as the mercenaries pinned him down, not even allowing him to move even one of his limbs, no matter how hard he tried. 

"It's hopeless, Sammy... your foolish sister already tried to escape us... and now you will be next!" shouted one of the mercenaries, a bald man with a large scar on the top of his head. "And your pathetic Ami is dying right now, as we speak... "

Tears came to Sammy's eyes as he remembered Ami's horrifying predicament.

__

"She's still in there... facing that evil Emperius lady one-on-one... oh, Ami... why couldn't I protect you?" Sammy thought. _"I failed you!"_

---

"Mercury Ice Javelins!"

Sailor Mercury tossed a volley of deadly ice spears at Emperius, but this time, the mercenary was ready to respond, sending an energy sphere flying at Sailor Mercury for each ice javelin headed her way. The energy spheres and the javelins met, creating a large, icy explosion that caused both fighters to shield their faces from the waves of ice and energy created by the blast.

"Getting tired yet?" Emperius asked Sailor Mercury as the smoke from the explosion began to clear.

"I haven't even begun..." Mercury said, still retaining an angry glare on her face. She pointed at Emperius and fired off an icy blast, freezing Emperius' left arm to her side. Emperius growled, and her arm lit up with energy, shattering the ice. Then, she used the same arm to send a powerful blast at Sailor Mercury. The blast connected, knocking the Senshi flat on her back and sending more pain surging through her body.

"Hmmm... as much as I'd like to kill you right now," Emperius said, turning toward the large screen at the back of the room, "I'd much rather see how our young Sammy Tsukino is doing..."

The screen flashed on, and there, struggling for his life with tears streaming down his face, was Sammy, still being pinned down by the huge crowd of mercenaries. A surge of fear and anger ripped through Ami's body, and she quickly leapt to her feet, fists clenched in rage.

"LET... HIM... GO!!!" Sailor Mercury screamed, looking straight into Emperius' eyes. 

"Oh, don't worry, Ami.... they're not going to kill him," Emperius said. "They're just going to bring him here so he can watch you die."

The screen flashed off.

---

Meanwhile, in the coliseum...

"I won't... I won't fail you... Ami..." Sammy said weakly.

"What's he babbling about?" asked one of the mercenaries. "Let's just take him back to Emperius, and-"

__

"Ami.... I won't let anything happen... to you, or to me!"

The Dark Crystal filled Sammy's body with an enormous amount of energy, and it was at that moment that Sammy threw the crowd of mercenaries off of him and floated up into the air, pulsating with power. The mercenaries that had been thrown off ran at Sammy again, but Sammy simply extended his arms, and in a second, he had channeled a gigantic amount of energy into his hands. He could feel the Dark Crystal's intoxicating power surging through his body, as rage and fear overwhelmed him, and he could only think of getting to Ami in time to save her.

"ALL OF YOU... DIE!!!"

A black, dome-shaped wave of magical energy rushed outward from Sammy's body, instantly disintegrating every single mercenary it touched. It swept through the coliseum as a burning wave of death, decimating Jekelai's entire army in mere seconds. When the attack was over, Sammy collapsed to his knees, and the Dark Crystal's energy slowly seeped back to its source at the center of Sammy's body.

"Now... to get to you.... Ami..." Sammy said.

---

"Sammy will be just fine," Emperius said, walking toward the infuriated Sailor Mercury. "So if you don't mind, I'd like to resume our little-"

Sailor Mercury lunged forward and drove one of her ice javelins straight into Emperius' stomach. As she pulled it out, blood poured from the wound, and Emperius stumbled backward, both hands clutching her injured midsection. Her teeth clenched, and her face twisted in pain.

"That's not.... that's not fair..." Emperius managed to choke out.

"Neither is sending Jekelai's entire army to attack the boy I love," Sailor Mercury said, pointing both of her arms at Emperius, as intense magical energy surged through her body. "Mercury... Hyper... Glaciation!"

A huge wave of ice swept over Emperius' body, and within seconds, the purple-haired mercenary was entombed in a solid block of ice, hopelessly frozen at absolute zero. Though her body was intact, she had been instantly killed by the intensely cold temperatures. Sailor Mercury pointed her hand at the living glacier and blasted it with a wave of magical energy, disintegrating both it and Emperius, once and for all.

"Whew," Sailor Mercury breathed, collapsing onto one knee. "Now to try and find Sammy..."

But Sailor Mercury's prayers were quickly answered when a large, black gate appeared in front of her, and Sammy leapt out, into Sailor Mercury's arms. As she squealed with delight and embraced her beleaguered boyfriend, both Sammy and Sailor Mercury couldn't help but wonder...

"How did you-" said both of them at the same time, before Sammy began to tell his story first.

"I felt this unbelievable energy... when I thought about not being able to save you, I... I just got all of this power, and I... I destroyed all of them, Ami...."

"The Dark Crystal," Sailor Mercury whispered. _"Sammy..."_

"Yeah, that's what I think it was," Sammy replied, slowly releasing his embrace on Sailor Mercury's back. "So, Ami... what about you? You beat Emperius all by yourself?"  


Sailor Mercury nodded.

"All I could think about was... seeing you in trouble.... Emperius showed me what was happening to you, and I just.... I just couldn't handle it, so..."

"Ami.... your powers are incredible," Sammy said, his surprise and bewilderment replaced with joy. "I'm.... I'm really sorry I ever doubted you...."

"I doubted you, Sammy," Sailor Mercury replied. "Sammy... it wasn't... when we get through with all of this, I want you to know something, okay? It wasn't the Dark Crystal that saved me all of those times when I was in trouble, Sammy... it was you. It was always you... you created that power, Sammy... your determination... your love... even without the magical strength the crystal gave you, Sammy, you had all the strength in the world... you had all the strength that ever mattered, Sammy... it's right here."

Sailor Mercury pointed to Sammy's heart, and for a second, her touch seemed to negate everything that the Dark Crystal had done to Sammy... his hatred and anger disappeared, replaced with love, and joy, everything that Ami had given him over the years they'd known each other. The happiness he got whenever he saw her beautiful face, the warmness in his heart every time she smiled her incredible smile... she could light up his heart just by glancing his way.

"I.... I love you... Ami," were the only words that could escape Sammy's lips. He didn't need anymore, as Sailor Mercury lifted up her lips to his and kissed him, the two lovers embracing once more and passionately kissing for the next ten seconds before both of them knew what they had to do.

"Now, let's go save the others," Sailor Mercury said, turning to Sammy and smiling. Sammy nodded, and the two of them left the room and began searching the fortress for their never-forgotten friends, knowing only three things for sure. They were in love, and they would always be in love... and as long as they were in love, that they would both be alright.

---

"They draw nearer.... every last one of my mercenaries is dead. I felt the Dark Crystal... its power is stronger than every single one of my mercenaries combined. I _will _have that power...."

"As long... as there is a breath within my body," Sparrow said, standing up and looking into Jekelai's eyes with intense rage, "you will never, _ever _have that power!"

Jekelai walked toward the magical barrier imprisoning Sparrow, and put his hand on its surface, causing Sparrow to gasp and take a step back.

"I really do... love you, Sparrow," Jekelai said. "And I wish that you would allow me to show you in some way... how I really feel..."

A black mist filled the sphere, and Sparrow pressed up against the other side, in a frantic attempt to escape the mist's reach.

"Stop it!" Sparrow shouted, fear lining her voice. "Stop it now! Whatever you're doing, stop it right-"

And then, the mist washed over Sparrow. Within seconds, both her and the barrier were gone, leaving Jekelai alone in the throne room with the four trapped and unconscious Senshi.

"I cannot allow you to see what is about to happen here, my love," Jekelai said, facing the door that marked the throne room's entrance. "I only wish that you will see how I truly feel about you as you experience the dimension I created just for you... please understand."

---

It didn't take Sammy and Sailor Mercury long to navigate the passageways and stairwells of Jekelai's fortress once all the mercenaries had been destroyed. After merely a few short minutes, the two reached the huge doors leading into Jekelai's throne room. Without a moment's hesitation, they entered, and saw Jekelai staring them down from across the grand hall, the four energy spheres that contained the Senshi floating behind him. The four Senshi were still unconscious, and Sammy gasped when he saw their condition.

"Jekelai, let them go now!" Sammy shouted, his dark energy aura appearing once more. "I'm warning you..."

  
"Sammy, you're just in time," Jekelai said, a smirk on his face. He walked toward Sammy and Sailor Mercury, and neither of them backed down. "To witness the death of your lovely friend, Ami."

"You won't hurt me," Sailor Mercury said, courageously stepping forward. "If you want to fight Sammy, you'll fight us both!"

"I wish to fight you first, Sailor Mercury!" Jekelai shouted, tossing a long, crescent-shaped energy beam at Sailor Mercury. It contained a large amount of energy, and almost surely would have cleaved her in half had it not been for Sammy, leaping in front of the energy beam and easily swatting it away. It formed into the shape of a sphere and slammed into the wall, creating a medium-sized explosion.

__

"Sammy...." Sailor Mercury thought, contemplating whether to stop Sammy or not. "Sammy, be careful..."

  
Jekelai ran at Sammy, and it appeared as if he was going to try and strike Sammy with his fists. Sammy unsheathed his sword and ran at Jekelai, but at the last second, Jekelai leaped over Sammy and ran straight for Sailor Mercury, his fist slamming right into her stomach. She collapsed, clutching her stomach with one hand and using the other to wipe away blood from her lip that she had begun to cough up. Sammy turned around and clenched his fists in rage, running toward Jekelai.

__

"That's his plan... he's going to try to kill Ami first!" Sammy thought. _"I have to do something, and fast!"_

Jekelai pointed his hand at Sailor Mercury, and quickly charged up an energy blast. Sailor Mercury stood up. She knew what she had to do.

  
"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

  
A powerful wave of water washed over Jekelai, far more powerful than the last time she had used the attack. She was fighting with a purpose now, not just to protect herself, but to protect Sammy... she couldn't let the Dark Crystal emerge from him. She wouldn't. The attack slammed into Jekelai, and sent the unprepared warrior tumbling back, right into the path of Sammy's two fists, both slamming into his back at once. Jekelai flew across the room and slammed into the far wall, his body making a large dent in the wall's hard, marble surface.

"Ami, are you alright?" Sammy shouted, running over to Sailor Mercury and looking down at her stomach, which Sailor Mercury had began to clutch again. "You got hit really hard, and-"

  
"I'm fine, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, nodding her head. "I'm going to see if there's some mechanism I can use to free the other Senshi... can you handle Jekelai by yourself?"

  
Sailor Mercury already knew the answer. Sammy had become so strong....

"I'll be fine, Ami," Sammy said. "Stay safe."

  
Sailor Mercury nodded again, and then ran over to the four energy spheres containing the Senshi. Jekelai turned around and began walking away from the wall, toward Sammy. He formed a glowing energy blade in his left hand.

"So, it's a swordfight you want, Jekelai?" Sammy asked, a devious smile appearing on his face. "Alright then... but I must warn you, I'm very skilled at those."  


"I tire of this, boy," Jekelai said, a serious look on his face. "I want that crystal, and I want it right now!"

Jekelai waved his arm, and a dark energy gate appeared behind him. Before Sammy could react, Jekelai leapt into the gate, quickly closing it. Sammy ran to the place where Jekelai had once stood and began to look around.

"He teleported away..." Sammy said, looking around. "What a coward!"

Sailor Mercury turned to face Sammy, a look of concern evident on her features.

"Sammy, this may be part of a trap," Mercury said. "Be care-"

Suddenly, the dark gate reappeared behind Sailor Mercury. Jekelai leapt out, grabbed the stunned Senshi, and held his energy blade to her throat while using his other arm to keep her hands pinned behind her back.

"AMI!" Sammy shouted, flying toward Jekelai. "Don't you dare hurt her..."

"Whatever... you want..." Sailor Mercury said weakly, "you won't get it... by holding me hostage..."

"Who said anything about a hostage?" Jekelai said, smiling devilishly. "And by the way... those were your last words, Ami Mizuno."

With one swift motion, Jekelai slashed the energy blade across Sailor Mercury's throat, creating a large gash that instantly began spewing blood. As Sammy stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes as wide as saucers, with his mouth agape, Sailor Mercury's lifeless body fell to the ground, and a pool of blood immediately began forming around her. With a smirk of triumph on his face, Jekelai kicked the lifeless Senshi over to Sammy, who stood motionless like a statue just ten feet away from Jekelai. Immediately, Sammy collapsed next to his fallen lover and looked down at her rapidly whitening face as tears began to flow like rivers down his face, as fast as the blood pouring out of Sailor Mercury's wound.

"I should have done that in the first place," Jekelai said. "I don't know why I strung you along for so long..."

Sammy stopped looking at Sailor Mercury and looked back up, at Jekelai. Slowly, he stood up, facing down the monster who had struck down his beloved angel. 

"Now... show me, Sammy," Jekelai said, still smiling, even in the face of Sammy's incredible rage. "Show me the thing I covet... show me the Dark Crystal."

---

Jekelai's mist had delivered Sparrow straight into one of his pocket dimensions, and as Sparrow looked around, she recognized where she was.

"This is Jekelai's throne room," Sparrow said, "but no one's here... this is an entirely different dimension than-"

"How can I tell her?" Jekelai shouted as he entered the throne room. "After everything I've done to her, how can I tell her I love her? She'd never believe me, she hates me... dammit!"

Sparrow ran toward Jekelai, but when she tried to touch him, her hand passed completely through Jekelai's body. It was as if Jekelai was a ghost. Sparrow turned back around and watched Jekelai slowly trudge toward his throne. He didn't sit down, however. He stopped in front of his throne and sighed, directly facing Sparrow. He didn't notice her, however. Instead, he continued to speak.

"I should have just asked her... instead of having my men bring her here like a slave... but... she wouldn't want to be my mercenary anyway," said the illusory Jekelai. "She's too pure-hearted and kind.... I'm probably the first person she's ever hated, and for a good reason, too."

Jekelai sat down on the throne. 

"I don't have to listen to this crap," Sparrow said, still not convinced. "JEKELAI, LET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Then, Sparrow remembered... the few times that, even in Jekelai's captivity, she had shown him kindness. Was it because of those few isolated episodes that Jekelai fell for her? 

---

__

"Jekelai, why do you do this?" Sparrow said softly, her voice lined with a thin sheet of compassion. "Is there something in your life that made you... made you like this? What happened to you, Jekelai?"

"What do you mean by that?" Jekelai asked, turning around to face Sparrow, who was helplessly chained to the wall like he usually kept her.

"You couldn't have been evil like this your entire life... just tell me what's wrong, and maybe I can help you..."

"There is nothing wrong, Sparrow," Jekelai said. "To get ahead in this universe, you have to be ruthless. That is why I am the way that I am."

"You don't have to be like that at all.... I know I'm not," Sparrow said. For a brief instant, she sent a smile in Jekelai's direction, which seemed to startle him. "If you stop this crusade of evil right now, and begin showing kindness to everyone, I'm sure that you can still live a constructive, happy life...."

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard in my entire-"

  
Then, for a second, Jekelai stopped.

"And if you apologized to me, right this instant, and let me go... I'd be willing to forgive you," Sparrow said. "I would leave it up to you to atone for your sins."

"You.... would be willing to what?" Jekelai asked.

  
"I'm serious, Jekelai..."

---

"Why didn't I let her go then?" Jekelai shouted. "Why didn't I apologize to her? I have to stop this, all of this...."

"You... you still can," Sparrow whispered, though she knew Jekelai couldn't hear a thing she was saying. "Except that now, you've hurt so many more people... but... if you're genuinely sorry, then..."

Sparrow stopped.

__

"What am I thinking?" Sparrow thought. _"He's tortured me, hurt so many others... he's killed so many people! He deserves to die, he deserves to be punished, he deserves to... to... but what if he's really sorry for what he's done? What if he's willing to atone? Should I... should I forgive him? Just like that?"_

Sparrow began channeling her strength to attempt to teleport out of Jekelai's pocket dimension.

__

"It's not in my nature to hate..."

---

"You want... to see... the DARK CRYSTAL?" Sammy shouted, his voice beginning to become hoarse from yelling so much. "HERE... IT... IS!!!!"

Sammy clenched his fists and pulled his arms back toward his chest. His entire body burned as if it was on fire, but he didn't feel even the tiniest bit of pain. All he could feel was the power, the intense energy coursing through his veins, and the grief of Ami's death. Then, he pushed everything to the outside, and the result was a mammoth power explosion, as a large column of black energy encircling Sammy and sent out large shockwaves that knocked Jekelai back several steps every time one of the waves slammed into him with immense force. Finally, the display of light had ended, and all that remained was Sammy, a cloud of magical energy surrounding his body and flowing around him like a mighty flame. Jekelai observed Sammy for a few seconds, and then came to a startling revelation.

"The crystal... it's... it's still inside of him!" Jekelai shouted in horror. 

"Game over, Jekelai."

  
Sammy flew at Jekelai and slammed into him, fists furiously pounding his chest, face, and stomach. After just a few seconds of pounding blows, the once-mighty Jekelai was on his knees, blood spewing from his nose and mouth. Jekelai looked up to see Sammy standing over him, his hand pointed at Jekelai's face.

"Murderer!"

A large blast from Sammy's hand slammed into Jekelai, sending him skidding backwards across the floor, all the way to the foot of his throne. As Jekelai wearily climbed to his feet, Sammy slowly began to walk toward him, each step methodically timed in perfect rhythm. 

"I can't believe it... the crystal... why can't I extract the crystal?" Jekelai shouted in frustration.

  
"My body... my determination... my love... is stronger than all the forces of the crystal that are trying to work their way out!" Sammy shouted at Jekelai. "Before you killed Ami, she told me... she told me that no matter what, it was my inner strength protecting her... not the crystal's.... you monster, how could you take Ami away from me? WHY? WHY?"

Sammy was now just a few feet away from Jekelai, facing him down with incredible intensity. Jekelai did the only thing that he thought could possibly protect him... he began to fight back. He leapt back and pointed his arms at Sammy, gathering up a huge blast of magical energy with which to try and destroy him.

Just then, a dark energy gate opened up next to the fallen Sailor Mercury, and from the gate emerged Sparrow, a frantic look on her face.

"Sammy, don't...."

As soon as Sparrow saw Sailor Mercury, lying on the ground with blood all over the top part of her Senshi outfit, she let out a loud gasp.

"You can heal her, right?" Sammy shouted. Sparrow gave a meek nod in Sammy's direction. "THEN DO IT!"  


"She has to be alive first!" Sparrow yelled back, putting her hand on the large wound that had been sliced into Sailor Mercury's neck. "I can feel a small amount of life force... it's weak, but..."

Concentrating what could very well have been the last of her strength, Sparrow began to send a large amount of healing energy into Sailor Mercury's body, hoping that she hadn't arrived too late to save the fallen Senshi.

__

"Jekelai... did this to Sailor Mercury?" Sparrow thought. _"How could I have possibly even thought of forgiving him... still, I can sense that his love for me is genuine... and if that is genuine, then maybe his remorse is... I can't think about this right now, I have to heal Ami! And quick!"_

Sammy turned back toward Jekelai, who had stopped charging up his attack and simply remained fixated on Sparrow, his eyes longingly gazing in her direction.

"Sparrow... please, I-"

"Your fight is here, Jekelai."

With another powerful punch, Sammy sent Jekelai flying backward again, crashing through the back of his throne and slamming against the room's back wall with intense force. Sammy grabbed Jekelai by his collar and tossed him several feet across the room, sending him skidding across the carpeted ground. As Jekelai tried to stand once more, Sammy was right there, and another punch to Jekelai's stomach sent him collapsing to his knees yet again.

"You're going to be... just fine... Ami..." Sparrow whispered, and as her energy flowed into Sailor Mercury's wound, it rapidly began to close, indicating that Sparrow's healing was working at a very quick pace. "Just a bit more..."  


"Sparrow's... healing her..." Jekelai coughed as Sammy slowly walked toward the battered mercenary. "Ami... will recover..."

"That's more than I can say for you, Jekelai," Sammy said, running at Jekelai and kicking him in the face. Jekelai stumbled back a few more steps, but Sammy's kick had helped Jekelai get to his feet, and now, Jekelai stood facing Sammy, with a far different expression on his face than the one he had worn just a few minutes earlier. Instead of being angry at Sammy, or happy that Ami was about to die, Jekelai was... something else. His face revealed a sadness that hadn't been there before.

"Go ahead... Sammy..." Jekelai said, coughing up blood. He knew that he had been defeated, but there was just one more thing that he had to say before Sammy finished him off. "Sparrow.... I really did love you, and... and I.... I am sorry...."

Sparrow stopped healing Ami and turned around, a skeptical look on her face.

  
"You... you can't be sorry," Sparrow said, not quite ready to forgive Jekelai after having treated Ami so cruelly. "You intended to kill Sailor Mercury... you're only apologizing because you're about to die."

"Sparrow's right," Sammy said, unsheathing his sword. "Your time is up, Jekelai... nothing you say can help you now."

Sparrow looked up at Sammy, and it was then that she saw what the Dark Crystal had done. It had poisoned his mind from within. Sammy was polluted with anger, and the crystal's power had acted upon Sammy like an intoxicant. She let out a quiet gasp as she saw in Sammy's eyes a look of pure hatred and evil like nothing she had ever seen before, not even in Jekelai.

__

"The crystal has him... it hasn't been extracted from him, but... it's taken a hold of him..."

"Please... tell Ami... and all of your other friends.... I'm.... sorry...." Jekelai moaned, barely able to stand. "And especially Sparrow.... I'm so... sorry..."

"Save it for the next world!" Sammy shouted, lifting his sword above Jekelai's chest. A large amount of dark energy gathered at the sword's tip. But just before Sammy brought it down, Sparrow cried out...

"Stop!" Sparrow shouted, rushing inbetween Sammy and Jekelai. "This is not for you to decide, Sammy... I will take Jekelai back to my own world.... to atone for his sins there."

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Sammy shouted, his fiery energy aura flaring up even more. "He's hurt too many people! He's hurt Rick, and Mika, and Miss Haruna... and AMI!"

"I know, and that is why... that is why he must atone," Sparrow said. "I have searched my heart for the answer, and its answer is... its answer is that I do forgive Jekelai. Though he has done horrible, horrible things, I still forgive him... because deep in his heart, even he is capable of-"

  
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY, OR ELSE!" Sammy furiously yelled. "I will warn you only once more! Get out of my way!"

"I will not," Sparrow said calmly, a look of serenity on her face. "I will not allow you to harm Jekelai any further."

From his weakened position behind Sparrow, Jekelai gasped, and his eyes began to water.

__

"How could she... how could she show forgiveness after all I've done?" Jekelai thought. _"She said she would, but... but that was years ago... even today, her kindness remains... after the hell I put her through, she's still... the same person... the same Sparrow..."_

With a loud, angry cry, Sammy plunged his sword into Sparrow's heart, an action that Sparrow clearly hadn't anticipated. Her eyes widened, and a burning sensation began to emanate from her chest. She stared at Sammy with a look of shock on her face, and a tear streaked down her cheek.

__

"I'm... going to die," was the last thing that Sparrow thought before her body completely disintegrated. Sammy's attack had killed her instantly. Suddenly, all of the rage and hatred in Sammy's body disappeared, and he collapsed onto his knees. He knew immediately what he had done.

"Sparrow..." Sammy whispered, his entire body trembling. "Oh, God... I've killed Sparrow..."

Jekelai stood up and gasped as he also sensed Sparrow's death. She had died right before his eyes... protecting him.

__

"Sparrow... Sparrow, no!" 

Jekelai clenched his fists, and felt the same intense rage that had overtaken Sammy at the start of the battle. Jekelai had no Dark Crystal to fuel his emotions, but he had power... lots of it, and it exploded outward in a brilliant flash of light. Sammy stood up and watched Jekelai as his powers burst forth, and then flared up his own energy aura.

"Sparrow... you only... you only got in my way," Sammy said, clenching his teeth. The Dark Crystal's powers had overtaken Sammy again, reacting to Jekelai's own burst of strength. Their grip on Sammy would not release until Jekelai, the cause of his rage, was dead... dead, once and for all.

"You... you killed Sparrow!" Jekelai shouted. 

"You tried to kill Ami.... the difference between you and me is that I succeeded, Jekelai. You're nothing but a miserable failure!"

Jekelai leapt into the air and pointed his arms at Sammy.

"My ultimate attack... and your ultimate end... RADIANT APOCOLYPSE!"

A gigantic golden beam of magical energy flew out of Jekelai's hands and barreled straight for Sammy. But as the giant beam, Jekelai's most powerful attack, flew straight for him, Sammy merely extended one of his arms. The incredible attack was completely blocked against Sammy's hand, even as Jekelai poured more and more of his energy into the attack. Finally, Sammy had to block the attack with two hands, and he began sweating and straining against Jekelai's energy beam.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR SPARROW'S DEATH!" Jekelai shouted.

"AND YOU WILL PAY FOR EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER HURT, INCLUDING SPARROW! FEEL MY WRATH!"  


Sammy sent his own beam of energy at Jekelai, a powerful black beam that completely battered through Jekelai's attack in an instant and collided into Jekelai, creating a huge explosion that blasted Jekelai up into the air. He flew back for a couple of seconds, before hitting the ground on his back, groaning in pain. All of his energy was now gone, and he could only watch helplessly as Sammy walked toward him. Sammy's energy aura was still fully intact, as was Sammy's intense, angry stare. Sammy pointed his arm at Jekelai, and a large amount of electrical energy began gathering in his palm.

"This is how Ami died... that very first time," Sammy said. "It is a much more fitting death for you than it was for her."

  
Sammy blasted Jekelai with the huge jolt of electrical energy. Jekelai screamed out loudly as the powerful voltage coursed through his body, and he could feel himself being burned alive as he looked up into Sammy's angry, evil eyes.

__

"Sparrow... I'm sorry..."

And then, in a large, black flame, Jekelai was obliterated. Sammy had finally extinguished the last of the Pale Mercenaries. The energy spheres holding the Senshi disappeared, and the four unconscious girls fell to the ground next to Sailor Mercury, whose wound had been completely healed by Sparrow, leaving only a faint scar where the deadly cut had been. As the Dark Crystal's hold on Sammy slowly released itself, Sammy collapsed to the ground, and tears again came to his eyes.

__

"Sparrow...." 

Sailor Mercury slowly woke up, and soon after, the rest of the Senshi. They slowly stood up, wearily groaning from the slight injuries that remained on their bodies. Sailor Mercury was the first to notice Sammy, on his knees next to the remnants of Jekelai's throne. He was crying intensely, and Sailor Mercury instinctively ran over to comfort him. 

"Sammy... it's okay... I'm here, and I'm safe," Sailor Mercury said, wrapping her arms around Sammy's chest and gently embracing him.

"What... what happened?" Sailor Moon asked. "Did Jekelai... is he dead?"

  
"And where's Sparrow?" Sailor Mars asked. Upon the mention of Sparrow's name, Sammy let out a loud cry of anguish. Sailor Mercury's fingers flew up and gently slid across Sammy's lips, as his tears began to stain her fuku, mixing with the dried-up blood.

"Shhh...." Sailor Mercury whispered. "Sammy... I'm here... it's alright..."

"No... no it's not alright," Sammy sobbed. "Ami... I... I killed Sparrow!"

The Senshi gasped, and Sailor Mercury hugged Sammy even tighter. He tried to push her away, but his limbs couldn't even move.

"The Dark Crystal... the Dark Crystal, it... I don't know what happened... after Jekelai, after he... Sparrow... everything... so fast..."

__

"We have to get that Dark Crystal out of Sammy, right now..." Sailor Moon thought. _"I have to call upon the power of the Imperium Silver Crystal... I should've done it sooner, but... I don't want to hurt Sammy!"_

"He killed Sparrow, I don't believe it!" Sailor Mars thought. She began to feel a twinge of anger, and for a second, thought about scolding Sammy. _"It wasn't his fault... it wasn't..."_

"Sparrow was a wonderful friend," Sailor Jupiter thought. _"Sammy couldn't have possibly killed her on purpose... it was that Dark Crystal that made him do it!"_

"We'll get you back, Sparrow... just like Miss Haruna," Sailor Venus thought. _"There's got to be some way to undo all the horrible things that have happened..."_

"Sammy... I love you..." Sailor Mercury said, still hugging Sammy as tightly as she could. "You didn't kill Sparrow, Sammy... the Dark Crystal did..."

  
"It's still inside me..." Sammy sobbed, a horrified tone in his voice. "The Crystal is still inside me... even after you were nearly killed, it didn't come out... oh, Ami... I don't want the Crystal to hurt anyone else!"

"You'll be fine, Sammy... we'll all be fine.... oh, Sammy, I love you so much..."

Ami knew that she couldn't say anything to Sammy that would lift the pall of grief that was crushing him as well as everyone else. The only thing she could do was to tell him what he already knew... she loved him, and that she would always love him, and that she would fight to protect him... forever and always.

---

"Jekelai and Sparrow, both dead... excellent work, Sammy. The Crystal is doing a fine job indeed."

Cestari smiled and walked over to the window. Just outside was the Earth, and his giant, flying castle was just about to touch down on its surface.

"Jekelai didn't even know for a second that he was being played... and Sparrow fell right into my trap," Cestari said devilishly. "This is a truly wonderful day indeed... and its rewards are not over yet. For soon, the grandest prize will be mine... only I truly know the Crystal's secrets. Only I truly know how to unlock its true power... the final phase of my plan is about to begin."

---

This story's getting pretty dark... ^_^;;; I don't even think the Trunks/Ami sequel will be THIS dark. Well, there are two chapters of the story left! Sorry to all of Sparrow's fans... I like her too, but... ya know, the whole dramatic effect thing and all... anyway, it looks like Cestari, Jekelai's employer, is still alive... and he's about to do some sort of despicable evil! To find out what it is... uh, read the next chapter, coming soon! ^_^ (Another 9,000 word chapter... I better get some damn reviews. I'm serious. XD)


	20. Revelations Of The Past

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

Sailor Mercury continued to embrace Sammy for several minutes, until he finally stopped sobbing. Sailor Mercury had also cried, not from Sparrow's death, but from the intense feeling of sadness she received from Sammy's greed and guilt. 

__

"No one... should have to go through anything like this..." Sailor Mercury thought. _"I promise I'll get that Dark Crystal out of you, Sammy..."_

The two stood up and continued to face each other, Sailor Mercury's hand wiping the last of the tears from Sammy's face.

"Ami," Sammy said, fighting the urge to turn away, "If you have to... to destroy me to get rid of the crystal, then-"

"No..." Sailor Mercury immediately replied. "I cannot allow that to happen, Sammy... I love you, and I don't want to lose you! Not even if.... not even if..."

"It causes the end of the world?" Sammy said, finishing Sailor Mercury's sentence. "Ami...."

"Ami won't have to make that decision," Sailor Moon said, walking up to Sammy and putting her hand on his shoulder. "I will use my own Silver Crystal's magic to remove the Dark Crystal from your body... I just hope it'll work..."

Before Sammy could reply, a loud rumbling began to shake the entire room, and rubble began falling from the ceiling. 

"Jekelai's not here anymore... no one's here to steer the palace!" Sailor Mercury shouted. "It's like a giant flying ship, and without Jekelai's magic to control it, it's going to disintegrate in the Earth's atmosphere!"  


"We've got to go, now!" Sailor Jupiter shouted. The five Senshi immediately linked hands and gathered in a circle, Sammy squeezing in between Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury.

"Sailor... Teleport!" shouted the five Senshi, teleporting out of Jekelai's throne room just as the huge, floating island began to disintegrate.

---

The five Senshi and Sammy reappeared in the middle of a deserted street, just outside of downtown Tokyo. The sky was dark, lit only by the clusters of stars that filled it at night. When the Senshi and Sammy looked up, they could see a large shooting star, rapidly streaking through the sky as it disintegrated.

"There's Jekelai's fortress..." Sailor Moon said as she pointed up at the comet-like object. "Goodbye, Sparrow..."

  
"We'll get her back, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, trying to comfort Sammy as he thought about his fallen friend. "As soon as we get rid of that Dark Crystal, we'll-"

"We have to do it _right now_!" Sammy shouted, stepping away from the Senshi and facing them all, a serious look on his face. "Sailor Moon, activate your Silver Crystal and zap the Dark Crystal out of my body! I won't let any of my friends be hurt again! I won't let the people I love be hurt again! I won't let that crystal make me hurt anyone else... _not ever!_ "

"Hold on, Sammy," Sailor Moon said, holding up her hand. "That's just the problem... the crystal needs time to activate..."

"Just hold still, Sammy," Sailor Mars said. "Even after all these years, we still don't fully know how to activate the full extent of the crystal's powers... it hasn't been used to do something like this since we beat Sailor Galaxia more than a year ago...."

"Sammy, you're going to need to bring out the Crystal's energy," Sailor Mercury said, walking over to Sammy. "I know it hurts you to bring it out, but... one last time, you have to, so the crystal can sense the presence of evil and-"

Suddenly, a bright flash in the sky over the buildings of downtown Tokyo immediately caused the Senshi to look up, and Sammy to turn around and look up as well. The flash dimmed, and suddenly, a large, flashing object, sparkling like a star, came into view. It began to grow larger in the sky as it drew nearer to the city, and the Senshi and Sammy immediately dashed down the street, desperate to get to the object as it floated ominously toward the city.

"What _is _that thing?" Sailor Venus shouted. "I thought we already got rid of Jekelai..."

"This is something different," Sailor Moon replied. "Sammy, didn't Jekelai say once that he had an employer of some sort?'

  
"Yeah, but...."

Sammy gasped.

__

"Of course," Sammy thought. _"Jekelai couldn't get the Dark Crystal, so now his employer has come to do the job himself!"_

The object hovered over the largest structure in the city, the huge Tokyo Tower. It appeared to be a floating, dome-like structure, and as it stopped over the tower, panicked civilians began fleeing down the streets, heading in the opposite direction of the Sailor Senshi. The bottom of the dome was covered in bright, shining red lights that illuminated the dome's blue, metallic facade.

"It looks like a UFO," Sailor Moon said, still running toward the tower. "Sammy, maybe you should head back home... we'll take care of this thing... but if you have the Dark Crystal, you shouldn't be headed right for the enemy's headquarters!"

Sammy ignored his sister's advice and continued to run. Sailor Mercury, however, agreed with Sailor Moon, and grabbed Sammy by his arms, stopping him in his tracks. The other Senshi stopped and watched as the two began to speak.

"Sammy, she's right," Sailor Mercury said, looking straight into Sammy's eyes.

"But I-"

  
"Listen, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said firmly. "You can't deliver that crystal right into the hands of the enemy..."

"And you can't deliver yourselves into the hands of the enemy! If you guys go, you'll be captured, and then when I show up, you'll be tortured, and-"

  
"Oh, ye of little faith..." Sailor Mars said. "C'mon, Sammy... we're the Sailor Senshi! We've beaten tons of bad guys before..."

"Sammy, it's not that it's just dangerous for you... it's dangerous for all of us," Sailor Mercury said. "But... you've got the Dark Crystal, and that's gotta be what they're going after...."

Sammy looked down, and then nodded dejectedly.

"If I... if I fight again... I could hurt someone else, just like I killed Sparrow," Sammy said sadly. 

"That wasn't your fault," Sailor Mercury replied. 

"The Dark Crystal's presence within me is too strong," Sammy said. "I... I should sit out this one, shouldn't I? But.... but promise me that... you already have, Ami... I know you guys will be okay."

"Thank you, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, kissing Sammy on the lips. "Go back home, and protect your mom and dad... we'll be done shortly."

"Oh, Sammy will come to my fortress... I insist on it!"

  
Standing in the middle of the street was a tall man with spiked black hair, prominent blue eyes, a youthful-looking appearance, and a suit of shining black and red armor that covered his body from his neck down to his legs. In any other circumstances, the Senshi would have considered him handsome, had they not sensed the enormous amount of evil energy radiating from his body. Sammy was the first to step forward and confront the man, his sword drawn.

"It's... it's you, isn't it?" Sammy asked. "You're... you're the guy that hired Jekelai!"

"Precisely," replied the man, "and I would like to say that I'm very pleased of your recent victory. You've done a great service for me, something I never could've done myself... I'm proud of you, Sammy Tsukino. You've been such a fine vessel for my precious Dark Crystal."

"You sick fiend... how dare you exploit an innocent child's emotions and wage war on his loved ones!" Sailor Mercury shouted, stepping forward as well. "I swore to Sammy personally that I would make you pay, and liberate him from the Crystal's control!"

"And so far, you're doing a fine job, Miss Mizuno," the man said with an evil glint in his eye. "Though your death would've been such pleasure for me, I'd much rather extinguish you in my own way. Ah, and how rude of me, I've yet to introduce myself to you fine ladies... my name is Cestari, and everything you thought you knew about me or my methods is completely wrong. First of all, I did not intend to have Jekelai live at all. In fact, though his power is incredible, even surpassing my own, he was merely a pawn in the scheme of things... never to receive the true prize."

"Can it, Jekelai... I'm really angry right now," Sailor Moon said, her henshin stick once again transforming into the Sword of the Moon. "In the name of the Moon... your evil deeds are through!"

Sailor Moon charged at Cestari and slashed her sabre across his face, making a large gash across his right cheek that caused him to stumble back. He quickly recovered, however, and responded with a furious punch to Sailor Moon's face that knocked her flat on her back. Sammy gasped, and immediately, his dark energy aura began to resurface.

"Sailor Moon!" shouted the other Senshi as their fallen leader struggled to get to her feet. Cestari leaned over Sailor Moon and gripped her tightly around the throat, slowly squeezing the air out of her windpipe.

"Do you want to be the first to die?" Cestari asked, a smile forming on his lips. "Because that can be arran-"

The stem of a rose slashed across Cestari's face, and his hand flew from Sailor Moon's throat to his left cheek, where a cut almost as big as the one Sailor Moon had made had just appeared. This gave Sailor Moon time to recover, and she quickly stood up and walked back over to the other Senshi. Tuxedo Mask leapt down in front of Cestari, his cape flowing in the night wind.

__

"You could've showed up while we were fighting Jekelai's minions," Sailor Mars thought, hesitant to show even the slightest bit of anger to someone besides Cestari. 

"So you are the fiend who has been torturing Sammy and his friends for the last two weeks," Tuxedo Mask said. "Well, today it's time to pay for everything you've done!"

"My true motivations will all be revealed in due time... I just came here now to assure that I'd get an audience with Sammy back at my palace," Cestari said. "And of course, the Dark Crystal as well."

  
Cestari smiled, and as he turned his head, neither Tuxedo Mask, Sammy, nor any of the Senshi were hesitant on determining the identity of Cestari's latest target.

"Sailor Mercury!" shouted the Senshi, and Sammy immediately rushed to her defense.

"Don't touch her," Sammy said, holding out his katana with the Dark Crystal's energy aura flaring about him. "Don't even look at her!"

"Out of my way, foolish boy!" Cestari shouted, smacking Sammy hard in the side and knocking him out of the way. In a second, Cestari had grabbed Sailor Mercury, and was quickly flying toward his fortress, his arms wrapped tightly around Sailor Mercury's own as she furiously thrashed against his grip. "You _will _come, Sammy, if you ever wish to see your precious Sailor Mercury alive again!"

"Sammy, no!" Mercury screamed. "You have to go back home and let the other Senshi take care of Cestari! Don't drop the Dark Crystal into his lap! Don't let him-"

Sailor Mercury was cut off by Cestari's hand clamping tightly over her mouth, allowing only muffled screams from the Senshi of Water as Cestari flew up and disappeared in the darkness.

"You cowardly asshole!" Sailor Jupiter shouted angrily, shaking her fist up into the sky. "You won't get away with this!"

"AMI!" Sammy screamed, dashing down the street in a desperate attempt to catch up to Cestari. "No..."

Sammy fell to his knees, sobbing on the cold ground as the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask crowded around him. Sailor Moon put her hands on both of his shoulders, and could sense her brother's sadness as he trembled on the ground, shivering in the both the cold wind and the frigidity of his own despair.

"Sammy... we'll get her back," Sailor Moon said, desperately trying to comfort her sobbing brother. "We-"

  
Sammy stood up wordlessly, with only tiny wisps of dark energy emanating from his trembling form. He walked past Sailor Moon, and then all of the other Senshi, not toward the tower, but back toward Juuban... back toward home.

__

"I can't believe he's not trying to go off to the tower..." Sailor Moon thought, silently reaching out to him with her arm extended.

"Serena... I'm going to go rescue Ami," Sammy said, turning his head toward Sailor Moon and the other Senshi. "I promised I'd keep her safe, and I'm not about to break that promise. But first... I have some thinking to do."

  
Sammy dashed off down the street, as quickly as he could. For a brief moment, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask contemplated going to the Tokyo Tower to mount an attack on Cestari's fortress. But something in all of their minds told them to wait for Sammy... as if he was the only one who could defeat the vicious evil that had Sailor Mercury trapped in its clutches. They dashed off in the other direction, ready to follow Sammy wherever he went.

---

Sammy ran all the way back to Crossroads Junior High, still under repair. He ran up to the roof using the same route he and Ami had taken just a couple of hours ago, crawling through an open window and dashing up several flights of stairs to get to the fenced-in roof. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask started to follow him into the building, but were stopped by Sailor Moon, who stood in front of the window and looked up to the roof.

"Guys... whatever Sammy's doing up there, I think we need to leave him alone..." Sailor Moon said quietly.

"What's he doing up there?" Sailor Mars asked. 

"He's going up there to think about what he has to do... to save Ami," Sailor Moon replied. "To save us all."

Sammy paced about the roof, thoughts racing through his head. He was trying to keep his negative emotions from swelling to the surface... he wanted to save Ami while still in full control of himself and his abilities.

"Ami," Sammy said, taking out his sword and performing practice swings, slashing across the air several times, "I promise... I'll do for you exactly what you did to me... I'll pull you from the abyss, Ami... I won't let the dark forces take control! I'll do whatever I can to get you out of Cestari's clutches!"

Sammy looked up to the sky, ignoring the cold winds whipping around him.

"The Dark Crystal... will NEVER control me!" Sammy shouted. "Do you hear me? NEVER!"

With a loud scream, Sammy released a huge wave of dark energy from his body, blasting the chain links from the roof's metal fences. The Senshi looked up from the ground below, and as the dark waves rushed outward from the roof, they decided that they had seen enough.

"Sammy... he's lost control!" Tuxedo Mask shouted.

"Darn it... we've got to go hurry and help him!" Sailor Moon said. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask began to rush into the school through the window, but they were stopped in their tracks as Sammy stepped out of the building, smiling at all of them. His dark energy aura had died down, to merely a tiny glow surrounding his body.

"I'm ready..." Sammy said. "I'm ready to take on Cestari... but I'm going to need all of your help."

"Thank you, Sammy," Sailor Moon replied. "But... are you sure you want to do this? Sailor Mercury said-"

  
"I'm in full control.... don't worry, sis," Sammy reassured her. _"At least... I think I am..."_

---

Cestari had taken Sailor Mercury to a large room in the center of his domed citadel that was hovering high over the streets of Tokyo. The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room were a deep, oceanic blue color that shined as the lights of the room dimly illuminated their surfaces. Sailor Mercury herself had been placed in the very center of the room, entrapped in an egg-shaped, transparent casing that appeared to be made from some form of ultra-sturdy plastic. The casing was about ten feet tall, and was attached to the roof itself, fastened into a depression carved in the roof's metallic frame.

"You're not restrained, Sailor Mercury...." Cestari said, looking up at the Senshi from his safe observation point, far below her on the ground. "I thought you would be banging on the walls of your prison by now, frantically attempting to escape."

"You underestimate me, Cestari," Sailor Mercury said, a fierce expression on her face. "I am not afraid of you, and I know that my friends are coming..."

  
"If Sammy doesn't come, I'll have you killed on the spot," Cestari said, causing Sailor Mercury's face to show signs of panic. 

"Why do you want him here so badly?" Sailor Mercury shouted. "What's so important about him and the Dark Crystal? Is it just power you desire, you fiend?"

  
"You don't even begin to understand, do you?" Cestari asked. "Don't you even remember him? Not Sammy Tsukino, the boy that exists now... but Shingo Nakiyura, the peasant boy from the great Moon Kingdom of the Silver Millennium."

Sailor Mercury's gaze turned puzzled, and Cestari sensed this, continuing on with his story.

"My dear, your powerful Queen Serenity didn't just send you girls and King Endymion forward in time, no... she selected several more people, some of the most important of your civilization, to be reborn here on Earth. Sammy was one of them."

  
"How do you know that?" Sailor Mercury shouted. "And how can I know you're telling the truth?"

"Would I lie to someone I'm about to sacrifice?" Cestari asked. "I'll continue. The boy you know as Sammy was not in any way related to Queen Serenity... he was merely a peasant in your kingdom, still treated with civility by your benevolent ruler, but a peasant nonetheless. One day, however, when you, the princess of Mercury, visited the kingdom, he caught a glimpse of you, and... well, it was love at first sight. He was even with you until the end, Sailor Mercury... you had only met him when he snuck into the ball that you were attending. You found him charming, but paid no more attention to him than you did to your many other suitors attending the ball that day. Destiny had turned its back on Shingo.... but he was determined, and when Queen Beryl attacked, he drew up a sword and rushed her in a futile attempt to save your life. Do you know what happened to him, Sailor Mercury?"

"He... was killed, wasn't he?" Sailor Mercury asked, images forming in her mind of what Sammy could possibly have been like in the Silver Millennium of her past.

"Of course he was... but noble Queen Serenity admired his determination, and thus, decided to have him reborn in your modern-day world, in a role she thought most-suited for possibly meeting his lost love again... as her brother," Cestari said. "That way, when the five Senshi reunited, young Shingo, now of course named Sammy, would _have _to find you again one of these days... and find you he did. But, of course, when you go against the forces of destiny, there are... consequences for those choices, aren't there?"

"Sammy... taught me not to believe in destiny," Sailor Mercury said confidently. "You make of your life only what you strive to make happen..."

"Destiny would have paired you with Urawa, the most charming and noble of your suitors... reborn here on Earth as Greg," Cestari said. "But I admire your rebellion... because I too have been given the proverbial shaft by the fickle goddess known as Fate."

"In... what way?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Is that why you want to take your revenge upon-"

"Precisely," Cestari replied. "But... I do not wish to repeat myself once the Senshi and that pathetic boy arrive. Instead, I will wait for their arrival... I hope that you are comfortable while you wait. Because soon... you won't be."

---

The Senshi, Tuxedo Mask, and Sammy quickly hurried back to the Tokyo Tower, now abandoned as panicking mobs had fled the tower after Cestari's fortress had begun hovering atop it.

"You don't think he's going to pull an _Independence Day _and blast the tower while we're in it, do you?" Sailor Venus asked nervously as the group took the tower's elevator to the top floor.

"Somehow, I don't think he's going to," Sailor Moon said. "If he kills us, Sammy and the Dark Crystal will be of no use to him..."

"I won't be of use to him anyway," Sammy said. "I'll make sure of that!"

  
The elevator arrived at the top floor, and the Senshi, Tuxedo Mask, and Sammy stepped out into the tower's observation deck. 

"Alright, we've reached the top of the tower," Sailor Jupiter said, looking around. "But how are we supposed to get to Cestari's fortress from here?"

"I wish Cestari was more like Kaori Night... she was actually willing to fight us _inside _the tower," Sailor Mars said. "We might have to climb to the top of the antenna and make a jump for it..."

  
"Cestari's fortress is hovering at least twenty feet above the antenna," Tuxedo Mask stated. "We'd never make it...:

"Looks like we'll just have to wait for it to come closer," Sailor Moon said.

  
"We can't wait any longer!" Sammy shouted, glaring angrily at the Senshi. "We've got to get to Ami right now! Who knows what Cestari could be doing to her right now!"

"I haven't done anything.... yet," came a voice from outside the tower's observation deck. Suddenly, a glowing, red energy rope dangled down just outside the observation deck's window. "This is the only path into my fortress... if you want to get up here, you'll have to climb."

"How do we know if we can trust you?" Sailor Mars shouted angrily.

"We don't," Sammy said. "But it's the only way we're going to get Ami back."

"Stand back," Sailor Moon said, beckoning Sammy and the other Senshi away from the window. "Yah!"

Sailor Moon fired a blast of magical energy at the window nearest the rope, causing the window's glass to shatter. Sammy immediately ran at the window and leapt out, grabbing the energy rope and grabbing on for dear life.

"Sammy, you could have been killed!" Sailor Moon shrieked.

"Hurry up!" Sammy shouted back at her, beginning to climb up the energy rope. "It's not that big of a jump to make!"

Sailor Jupiter ran out and jumped, along with Sailor Mars. Both of them caught the rope and began climbing, and were followed by Tuxedo Mask, who began climbing as well. Sailor Venus was the next to jump to the rope, leaving Sailor Moon standing alone in the observation deck.

"Sailor Moon, come on!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "It's not that big of a jump... you can make it!"

  
Sailor Moon looked at the rope for a moment, and her lip began to quiver. Her legs shook, and sweat began pouring down her palms.

__

"I can't do this... I'm terrified of heights!" Sailor Moon thought. _"No! I have to do this... this is for Sammy! And for all of my friends!"_

Gathering all of her courage, Sailor Moon leapt out to the energy rope. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept it just out of Sailor Moon's reach, and she couldn't find her grip on the rope. Just then, Tuxedo Mask reached out and grabbed her hand, gripping it with all of his might.

"I'll pull you up, Sailor Moon!" Tuxedo Mask yelled, calling out to the screaming Senshi.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Sailor Venus shouted from her position below Tuxedo Mask on the rope. "The others are getting way ahead of us!"

Sailor Moon reached out with her other hand and allowed Tuxedo Mask to pull her in, and after kissing him on the cheek and thanking him for saving her life, she climbed over him on the rope and began following the rest of the team. Soon, all four Senshi, Tuxedo Mask, and Sammy had climbed into Cestari's fortress. The energy rope disappeared, and the small hole that had opened up to allow them to come inside closed, sealing the six warriors inside a small, brightly-lit room with tan walls. They looked around, and saw a large door at the back of the room.

"Should we...." Sailor Moon began before Sammy ran past her, dashing through the doorway and motioning for the others to follow.

"Hurry!" Sammy shouted. "Ami needs us!"

Without hesitation, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask followed Sammy, who was now running fearlessly through the rooms of the fortress.

---

"You know, they should get here fairly quickly," Cestari said, pacing around the room underneath the transparent prison holding his captive, Sailor Mercury.

"Not if they have to fight their way through your army," Sailor Mercury said, a hint of anger in her voice.

"I don't have one," Cestari said. "You, me, Sammy, and the Senshi are the only souls in this structure right now."

  
"But what about that one you sent to burn down Sammy's house and attack his school?" Sailor Mercury shouted. "That was one of your-"

"Every one of the creatures I sent after Sammy I created myself, right here in this citadel... that was my role in the old kingdom... I was a brilliant researcher, and a man of great importance to our civilization," Cestari said, a proud smile on his face.

"Your... civilization?" Sailor Mercury asked. "Surely you couldn't mean-"

  
"The Moon Kingdom?" Cestari replied. "I-"

Cestari was interrupted by the sound of the two doors at the front of the room opening, and Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, Tuxedo Mask, and Sammy rushing into the room, ready for an epic confrontation.

"Alright, Cestari... we've got you cornered now!" Sailor Moon shouted. "You'd better give up while you still have the chance!"

"But Sailor Moon, I was just about to explain the story of my past to our guest, Sailor Mercury... surely, you'd like to hear it as well, correct?" Cestari said, pretending to have been offended by Sailor Moon's interruption.

"Ami, are you alright?" Sammy shouted up at her, a look of worry on his face. "Has Cestari hurt you?"

  
"No," Sailor Mercury said, shaking her head. "Sammy, I... I told you not to come..."

"Ami, I had to... you know that, Ami," Sammy said, looking longingly into her eyes. "I love you... and I can't let you get hurt... no matter what the risk is, I can't let anything happen to you!"

"That's certainly a touching response, Sammy," Cestari said. "I assume that you're prepared to fight for Ami's life."

"As prepared as I'll ever be," Sammy said, unsheathing his sword. His dark energy aura flared up, but instead of feeling the sense of rage and fury like he'd felt against Jekelai, he was being fueled purely by determination, and his affection for Ami. 

"Sammy, we're here... you don't have to fight him alone!" Sailor Moon shouted, holding out the Sword of the Moon. "We're all ready to kick this guy's butt!"

"Before you.... kick my butt, I would really appreciate the chance to tell you why I'm doing all this, and what the Dark Crystal really is," Cestari said. "But if you're not willing to listen-"

  
"No," Sammy said, keeping his gaze fixed on Cestari. "We'll listen. But make it quick."

"As I've already told Sailor Mercury, you, Sammy, are a citizen of the Moon Kingdom, reborn into this world as the brother of Sailor Moon. You were not her brother in the past, but you did fight for her kingdom... or rather, you fought for your beloved Ami. You attacked Queen Beryl, but were quickly killed as her powerful forces swept over the Moon Kingdom. It was... quite a brave act, to say the least."

"Wait... I was what?" Sammy stammered, looking back toward Sailor Moon. "You guys... never told me I was-"

  
"I never knew," Sailor Moon said, looking at Sammy. "There were... others reborn in this world?"

"Most of the friends you have now, in fact, were in some way involved in the history of the Moon Kingdom," Cestari said. "They were reborn into this world just as the Senshi were, in paths that destiny would eventually lead to cross with yours... in fact, you likely have not met most of them. However, that is not the point of what I wish to tell you."

"Wait," Sailor Mars said, her brain struggling to fathom what Cestari had just told her. "You mean, nearly everyone we've met-"

"Only important people... with a few exceptions," Cestari said. "Sailor Moon, the people whom you know as your parents were not among the people from the Moon Kingdom... neither is Rick, or Mika... or Sammy's late, great teacher, Miss Haruna."

  
Sammy's dark aura flared up as he remembered Miss Haruna, and the pain of her death.

"How do you... know all this?" Sammy said, his teeth clenched in rage.

"I've been watching you... all of you, for quite some time," Cestari said. "Your battles, your defeats, your triumphs... Sailor Moon, you know that I've been speaking of the Moon Kingdom... the Silver Millennium, as you call the era of time in which you and your allies ruled the Solar System... you think of it as a wonderful time of love and prosperity for all. But... not all people in the Solar System shared your happiness. They say history is written by the victors, Queen Serenity... and they would, in fact.... be correct."

"What do you mean, Cestari?" Sailor Moon asked.

  
"Let me finish," Cestari replied, hostility growing in his voice. "You see, most Earth historians remember the time one thousand years ago as the Dark Ages, a time when most of humanity was living in disease, poverty, and squalor, fighting wars over the best way to worship their gods instead of fighting to improve life for their people. But... Earth also was home to four great kingdoms, marvels of advanced civilization, forced to form an alliance in order to counter the growing threat from our own Moon."

Sailor Moon gasped, as she began to realize the truth behind what Cestari was speaking of. Memories of her past life as Queen Serenity began to flood back, and recollections of incredible wars and unspeakable bloodshed began to fill her mind.

"These four kingdoms were different in many ways, and alike in others. One of these kingdoms was a vast civilization that filled the plains of what you now know as South America, in a region known today as Nazca. The mighty kingdom formed a great harmony with the native peoples of the region, and those to the north as well, and together lived a life of peace, prosperity, and brotherhood, as the two cultures exchanged technologies and resources. The next kingdom was a kingdom of the sea, lying at the bottom of the ocean... which you now recall as the mythical kingdom of Atlantis. Its beauty and incredible architecture was envied throughout the Solar System... envied by you as well, Queen Serenity."

Sailor Moon was speechless, but immediately, the other Senshi spoke up on her behalf.

"You're lying!" Sailor Mars snapped. "Sailor Moon would never be envious of another culture... the Moon Kingdom was a wonderful place, and I'm sure that every other culture of the time was allowed to flourish alongside it!"

  
"That's right!" Tuxedo Mask shouted. "And what about me? As King Endymion, I reigned over the Earth during the Silver Millennium, and-"

  
"And you were a tyrant to our kingdoms, every one of them!" Cestari shouted back. "You were the one who finally persuaded the Moon Kingdom to attacked us... the blood of a billion people is on your hands!"  
  
Now Tuxedo Mask was rendered silent, allowing Cestari to speak once again.

"The third kingdom resided in the sky, flying freely over the oceans and continents, its people joyously celebrating each new day with great festivals that lasted for hours on end," Cestari said nostalgically.

"Didn't any of them ever fall off?" Sailor Venus said bitterly through gritted teeth, quiet enough for only the other Senshi to hear.

"And finally, there was the fourth kingdom... mightiest of all, with the most advanced technology... this was a kingdom in space, rotating around the Earth at a distance of only five hundred miles," Cestari said. "We lived on a giant, spherical planetoid, with a circumference of about fifty feet... we could've almost been a separate planet had we not decided to align ourselves with the other great Earth kingdoms. We kept a vigilant watch over your Moon, always prepared for the day that we knew would come... the day that your kingdom would attack.... when our days of peace and happiness would come to an end."

"We didn't strike first!" Sailor Mercury shouted, finally deciding to break her silence as she listened to Cestari from her prison suspended at the top of the room. "Queen Serenity would never have attacked another kingdom... she wished only peace for her people... for all people! All of our kingdoms did!"

"I lived there, I saw it happen!" Cestari shouted. "I fought in the wars... the wars that lasted nearly a year... I saw 250,000,000 soldiers from your armies and the armies of Nazca die on those blood-drenched plains! I saw the armies of your kingdom of Mercury, diving down to puncture holes in the shields surrounding Atlantis, drowning millions of people! I saw the glorious kingdom of the sky as it was shot down... and I saw my own kingdom... the very planet on which I lived... I fought so hard... but I failed... and I saw it vaporized before my eyes!" 

"You're lying..." Sailor Moon said, stepping forward to confront Cestari as her own voice was replaced by the soft, wise voice of Queen Serenity, and her sailor fuku transformed into a flowing white gown. "I... I remember it all now. It was your kingdom in space that fired the first shots of the war... your kingdom that destroyed Nazca, Atlantis, and the great floating city in the sky just to kill a small number of our own soldiers. And it was you, Cestari.... you were a member of that group who fled your planet in a tiny space colony, and you destroyed hundreds of other colonies that could have been used to evacuate the rest of the people on your planet before it was destroyed. You're nothing more than a war criminal, Cestari..."

Cestari smiled.

"But our wars did accomplish one thing," Cestari said, smiling. "The great war left the Moon Kingdom exhausted of resources... and while you and your allies celebrated your victory, Queen Beryl was able to come in and destroy everything quite easily. And though you sent some of your friends and family to the future, I was able to send myself in a time machine possessed by our kingdom. I sent myself to the very day you discovered your powers, Sailor Moon... and then I merely watched and waited for the day that I would have my revenge. For I left something else... a relic of my civilization, one that I created with my own, bare hands..."

  
"The Dark Crystal," Sammy said quietly, looking down as his chest.

"Precisely," Cestari replied. "Though I didn't place it in you, Sammy... during my travels before the war, I came across someone else who I thought would serve as a suitable vessel for the Crystal's power... a young warrior named Lazuli, fighting an entirely different, distant war in the name of the mighty Moon Kingdom. "It was then that I planted the Crystal within his body... and its power began to grow. To ensure that the Crystal would survive on throughout the ages, I enchanted it with magical energy that would allow it to pass on to the firstborn child of its carrier. Thus, it passed down to Scion, who then passed it to Alexis... and then, something very strange happened, Sammy. Don't you remember, about six months ago, when Alexis died and passed his powers along to you, Sammy?"

Sammy gasped.

---

__

"I don't blame you…" Alexis whispered. "I don't deserve anything except to burn in the deepest, darkest regions of Hell…"  
  
"No one deserves that," Mercury said. "I… Alexis… I forgive you…"

"Mercury?" Sailor Moon said.

  
"Ami," Sammy said weakly. "Everything he's done to you, why…"

"If I hated him, I'd be just as bad as they are…" Mercury said.

"I don't deserve… your forgiveness… Ami…" Alexis stammered. He coughed. "Please… avenge… Letine…"

Alexis gasped, and then shone in a brilliant black flash for a split-second. Then, he was gone.

"Did he teleport again?" Sailor Moon said. "Oh no…"

"No, he's dead… I felt it," Mercury said. 

"Good," Ninjetti said. "Such a weakling."

"You sick fiend!" Jupiter shouted.

"Why are you so angry? Letine and Alexis have been your mortal enemies for the past three weeks. You should be happy they're gone," Ninjetti said.

"You wouldn't understand!" Mercury shouted. "It wouldn't matter if it was them or anyone else! The way you killed them was horrible! You… you're a vicious monster!"

"Are we going to play a name-calling game, or are we going to fight?" Ninjetti asked.

"You're going to PAY!" Mercury shouted. "You've hurt us, you've hurt Sammy…"

"I'm fine," Sammy said. He was standing right behind Sailor Mercury, holding Alexis' katana in his hand. 

"I saw a big black flash, and then I was completely healed…"

"Sammy, your power is incredible!" Mercury said. "I can feel it!"

---

"That black flash was my Crystal, going from Alexis' body into yours, Sammy..." Cestari said, a smile appearing on his face. "It's a good thing Alexis had a change of heart and decided to give you his powers before he died... otherwise, my Crystal would have died with him."

__

"No..." Sammy thought, and Sailor Mercury was thinking the exact same thing as she listened to Cestari speak.

__

"So that's how... the Dark Crystal got inside Sammy," Sailor Mercury thought._ "And that's what the Dark Crystal was designed for... revenge against the Moon Kingdom... it's all becoming clear to me now..."_

"And there's only one way to get rid of the Crystal, besides killing yourself and passing it onto someone else," Cestari said.

"I know exactly how to do that," Sammy replied. "You created the Crystal... when I destroy it, it's going bye-bye!"

"We'll see about that," Cestari said, extending his arms and channeling a magical energy aura around himself. "My power may not match Jekelai's... but it's still incredibly strong."

"You're not dealing with just Sammy, you know!" shouted Sailor Moon, running up and standing next to her younger brother. "You're also dealing with me..."

  
"And me," Tuxedo Mask said, standing next to Sailor Moon.

  
"And all of us!" shouted the Senshi, rushing up to confront Cestari alongside their friends. 

  
"Don't worry, Ami..." Sammy said, looking into Sailor Mercury's eyes from just below her transparent prison located above the Senshi's heads. "You'll be out of there soon... Cestari and this crystal are both going down!"

---

Well, this chapter was a bit shorter than the others... but don't worry, the final one will be a true doozy... and I've got one final twist in store that will shock everyone! So remember to read... and review! ^_^


	21. Clash Of The Crystals

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and its characters are not owned by me, blah blah blah, and other legal junk. Sparrow Migoto is owned by my friend Christina, and used with her permission. 

Author's Note: This fanfic is a direct sequel to **Looking Up To You**, a Sammy/Ami romance fanfic that I wrote about a year ago. It's still on my profile, so I recommend that if you haven't read Looking Up To You, it would be best to stop, don't pass GO, don't collect $200, and go immediately to my profile to check it out. Otherwise, you'll be kinda confused.

Second Author's Note: This fanfic takes place after Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. (Serena, Ami, Rei, and Mina are 17. Lita is 18. Sammy is 14. Darien is older than all of them.) Also, if you're confused about some of the Senshi's attacks, that's because they got a whole set of new ones in Looking Up To You. So like I said, go check it out.

---

"Moon... Blessed... Salvation!"

The powerful magical wave flew at Cestari, catching him off-guard and hitting him squarely in the chest. A bright, pink explosion engulfed Cestari, and the blast knocked him to the ground, flat on his back.

"Surrender now, and we'll go easy on you!" Sailor Moon shouted, pointing the Sword of the Moon at Cestari's chest. 

"Oh, if you think one pathetic attack is going to put me out of commission, you truly are a fool..."

Cestari pointed his arm at Sailor Moon and blasted her in the hands with a black spark of electrical energy. She stumbled back, her trembling and stinging hands still clutching her sword as Cestari rose to his feet.

"Sammy, we'll take care of this," Sailor Moon whispered, turning her head back toward her brother, whose energy aura was pulsating and whose fists were clenched as the boy was clearly preparing for a fight. As a disappointed look began to appear on his face, Sailor Moon gave him a new task. "See what you can do about freeing Ami, okay? You've got a lot of power right now, it should be a piece of cake, okay, Sammy?"

Sammy nodded as the four Senshi and Tuxedo Mask rushed forward to confront Cestari, cutting him off from the area around Sailor Mercury's transparent prison.

"Sammy, what are you planning to do?" Sailor Mercury asked, looking down at Sammy with a calm, hopeful expression on her face. "I know that you can save me, Sammy..."

  
"Alright, Ami...." Sammy said, smiling up at her. "I know I can too... I'm just trying to figure out how to break this thing without hurting you."

Meanwhile, just a few yards away toward the back of the room, the Senshi's battle with Cestari was just beginning.

"Whatever sort of evil revenge you have planned, you can kiss it goodbye, buddy!" Sailor Mars shouted angrily. "You've done horrible things in the past, and you're just as bad now! Mars Flaming Cannon!"

A burning cannon of fire appeared in Mars' hands, and fired a volley of fiery artillery directly at Cestari. Cestari pointed his arm at the flames, seemingly unfazed by their intensity.

"Gravity Compression," Cestari said calmly. Suddenly, the air around Cestari's hand seemed to ripple around him, like waves in water. As the flames slammed into the ripples, they slowed to a crawl, and then bent around the sides of the oscillating waves of air, causing them to blast harmlessly behind Cestari. Sailor Mars gasped in shock.

"No fair..." Mars said, a hint of fear in her voice.

"He manipulated gravity itself to stop your attack," Sailor Venus said. "That's incredible..."

Once all of the flames had burnt out, Cestari threw out his hand, and suddenly, the tiny waves turned into a crushing gravity blast that crushed the floor beneath the Senshi's feet and toppled all of them to the ground. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask were the only two left standing, and Tuxedo Mask was standing only with Sailor Moon's help, as she used her incredible magical strength to hold him up and allow him to keep his balance. Even Sammy, standing some distance away, was knocked to his knees by the gravitational shockwave.

"Sammy!" Sailor Mercury screamed, her hands flying to the sides of her plastic prison. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Ami..." Sammy said, standing up along with the fallen Senshi. "And I'm... I'm getting you out of there, Ami!"

"You'll never get her out, you pathetic boy," Cestari said, smirking at Sammy. "You're too weak to save Ami...."

"You leave Sammy alone!" Sailor Venus shouted. "You're fighting us now!"

"That's right!" said Sailor Jupiter. "Jupiter.... Axe... Of Lightning!"

"Venus Arrow Of Beauty!"

The two powerful attacks combined into one, Venus' arrow flying at Cestari's chest with a powerful electric field sparking around it.

__

"They've got him!" Sailor Moon thought as she watched the attack rush toward Cestari. But again, Cestari smiled. He had other plans for the seemingly unstoppable attack.

"Interrupt me, will you?" Cestari shouted, flying toward the flashing and sparking arrow. "That was a big mistake!"

Cestari thrust his hands forward, and suddenly, the arrow changed course. It flew up into the air, and then spun around, flying directly at the Sailor Senshi. They gasped as the arrow rushed toward them, and even Sailor Mercury, watching from above, could sense the danger that the Senshi were in.

  
"No!" Sailor Mercury gasped, and Sammy turned around to see what was going on. But it was too late. When the arrow drew close to the Senshi, it exploded in a brilliant flash of light and energy, knocking all of the Senshi to their knees once more. Cestari stood facing them, surveying the damage with a smile on his lips. 

"None of your attacks are effective against me," Cestari said, chuckling as the four downed Senshi and Tuxedo Mask stood up, moaning painfully as they felt the full effects of the attack's sting. 

__

"I've got to help Serena!" Sammy thought. _"But Ami's still trapped up there... she's safe, for now... I have to get her out of that thing so she can help her friends fight!"_

Sammy pointed his arm up at Sailor Mercury's prison and charged a small amount of dark energy. Sailor Mercury grimaced as she realized what Sammy was going to try to do.

"Be careful, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, backing up against one of the prison's plastic walls.

  
"Don't worry, Ami...." Sammy said, an intense look of concentration on his face. "I will be, I promise."

Sammy fired off the blast, a small sphere of magical energy that quickly flew up to the ceiling, toward Sailor Mercury's prison. But when it hit the powerful plastic barrier, it was immediately dissipated on contact, and a powerful blast of energy ripped through the interior of the capsule, hitting the defenseless Senshi like a freight train. She cried out as pain tore through her body, and then fell to her knees, smoke coming off of her costume. 

"AMI!" Sammy shouted, pain gripping his chest as he sensed his lover's own pain. "Oh my God, I hurt her..."

  
Fists clenched in rage, Sammy turned to face Cestari, just as the Senshi and Tuxedo turned the other way to see if their comrade was alright. Sammy pointed his finger past the Senshi, in Cestari's direction.

  
"You... you made me hurt Ami," Sammy said quietly, his voice lined with hatred. "How dare you!"

"I didn't make you do anything," Cestari said, still retaining his smirk. "You hurt Ami... you're dangerous to her, Sammy. She hates you."

  
"That's not true!" Sailor Mercury shouted, rising to her feet despite the immense pain still coursing through her body. "I love Sammy, with all of my heart... and he loves me! He'll save-"

"SHUT UP!" Cestari shouted, blasting Sailor Mercury's prison with another energy blast and sending even more pain through her body, collapsing the Senshi to her knees once more. Sailor Mercury's blood-curdling scream sent an overwhelming amount of pain and rage through Sammy's body, as well as his soul. He ran at Cestari, powerful dark energy waves surrounding his body. His fist flew at Cestari's face, and as Cestari met the punch with his own wrist, a loud boom could instantly be heard, and a large shockwave flew outward from the two warriors. The Senshi simply looked on in awe.

__

"Sammy..." thought Sailor Moon as she watched Sammy's devastating attack, unable to find any words that could describe how she felt for her brother. Sailor Mercury, recovering from the second of Cestari's deadly blasts, was at even more of a loss for words or thoughts, the only emotions she was able to feel at that moment being love for Sammy and fear that he would die at Cestari's hand.

"You... are so strong," Cestari said, his teeth clenched. "Admirable attack... but not strong enough!"

Extending his hands, Cestari blasted Sammy with the same attack he'd hit Sailor Mercury with just seconds earlier, and the impact was similar. Pain ripped through Sammy's body, and the headstrong boy was instantly flung to his knees, giving Cestari just the opportunity he needed to strike. He dove upon Sammy and pinned the boy to the ground, his knees on the boy's stomach and his hands gripping the boy's neck. Sammy's dark energy aura rapidly began to fade, his anger and frustration apparently spent on just one punch. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask were still dazed after Cestari's last round of attacks, and could only look on in horror as Cestari slowly choked the life from Sammy's body.

"If you.... kill me..." Sammy said through gritted teeth, "you won't... get the... Dark Crystal...:"

"Who said anything about killing you?" Cestari asked. "I'm just going to make you suffer before I kill your friends... and your precious Ami."

Sammy struggled furiously, despite the fact that he could hardly even breathe. He tried to channel his anger, but while the Dark Crystal's energy was strong, Cestari had gotten the jump on Sammy, and he was unable to move... he could only look into Cestari's furious, glaring eyes. Sailor Mercury looked down at the two, and tears started to slowly work their way down her face. She was crying for Sammy, like she had done so many times in the past. This time seemed no different from all the others... Sammy was in trouble, hurt trying to rescue her from some terrible fate at the hands of a sadistic villain. And yet... this time seemed different from the rest. Cestari was trying to channel Sammy's rage by hurting him and using her as a pawn... and Sailor Mercury wasn't about to let that happen. Not again.

__

"I can't... I can't let this happen!" Sailor Mercury shouted. _"Sammy, I'm coming!"_

Channeling all of her strength, Sailor Mercury pointed her arms at the walls of her prison. With icy magical energy encircling her shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands, she prepared herself to strike the blow that she desperately hoped would free her... and rescue Sammy.

  
"MERCURY... ICE.... JAVELIN!"

The jagged spear crashed through the wall of the prison, shattering it instantly and continuing down, toward Cestari and Sammy. Cestari barely had time to look up before the spear slammed into the ground next to him, shattering into pieces and bombarding him with shards of razor-sharp ice. He leapt off of Sammy and rose to his feet, just in time to see Sailor Mercury leap down from the shattered plastic egg and onto the floor. Though she had fallen more than fifteen meters, she landed on her feet and dashed over to Sammy as quickly as she could, falling to her knees and caressing his face.

"Ami?" Sammy asked, slowly lifting himself into a sitting position. "You escaped... I knew you could do it... you're so incredible, Ami!"

Sailor Mercury smiled at Sammy and accompanied him off the ground, the both of them standing at the same time. Cestari, who was busily picking the remaining shards of ice out of his back, silently observed the two lovers as they wearily leaned into each other and exchanged a brief, yet passionate kiss on the lips.

"Who do you think you are, doing this to me?" Cestari shouted violently, growling in rage. "ANSWER ME!"  


Without a word, Sailor Mercury broke off the kiss and turned toward Cestari, a solemn frown across her lips.

"We are the Sailor Senshi, and we fight for love and justice," Sailor Mercury said quietly. She briefly turned her head toward Sammy and whispered a brief command to him. _"Go and stand by Tuxedo Mask... he's behind the other Senshi. We'll take care of Cestari, and this time, we'll take care of him for good."_

Sammy nodded, confident in the fact that he could trust his beautiful, sweet, strong lover Ami, his wonderful, sometimes obnoxious, yet just as strong sister Serena, and their kind friends, Rei, Lita, and Mina. He ran over to Darien as the other Senshi joined hands with Sailor Mercury and formed a circle around Cestari, as wisps of power began floating off of them and into the air.

__

"A Planet Power attack..." Tuxedo Mask thought. _"It's strong, but will it really work on Cestari?"_

"I know this will work," Sammy thought. _"I believe in you, Rei... Lita... Mina... I believe in you, sis... and I especially believe in you, Ami... I love you so much..."_

"What is going on?" Cestari shouted, beginning to get annoyed as the Senshi closed their eyes and concentrated all of their magical energy. "Stop this foolishness right now!"

Suddenly, the Senshi stopped gathering their energy. Their eyes snapped open, but they continued to link hands, as their energy had now gathered into a large, rainbow-colored mist, hovering over their heads. Their eyes now focused on Cestari, and now they were truly determined to defeat him, once and for all.

"You're finished, Cestari!" Sailor Venus shouted.

"You've hurt too many people, and now it's your turn to feel pain!" shouted Sailor Jupiter.

"You're going down, for good!" Sailor Mars shouted.

"I won't forgive you for everything you've done to Sammy... to all of my friends!" Sailor Mercury shouted, with even more intensity in her voice than the other Senshi.

"Consider yourself history!" Sailor Moon shouted.

"SAILOR ULTIMATE PLANET POWER!"

The huge wave of energy crashed down onto Cestari, with far more intensity than he'd ever anticipated. The Senshi were pouring their hearts and souls into the blast as well as their powers, and they weren't about to let Cestari attack them again.

"This.... can't be happening!" Cestari shouted as his body began to dissolve under the vast cloud of energy.

__

"That's it, Ami!" Sammy thought, a smile on his face. _"Take that jerk down once and for all!"_

"My plans... if the Senshi destroy me, my plans are ruined!" Cestari thought. _"I just have to hold on... just a little bit longer.... _aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgh!"

A brilliant flash of light engulfed Cestari as all the Senshi's powers were released upon him. Immediately, the Senshi released each other's hands and collapsed to their knees, and Sammy and Tuxedo Mask were immediately there to congratulate them as Cestari's lifeless body collapsed to the floor, covered in burns and bruises. His cold heart had finally stopped beating.

"Ami.... are you okay?" Sammy said, catching the exhausted water Senshi in his arms. "You did it... oh my gosh, Ami, you guys did it!"

"Serena, that was amazing!" said Tuxedo Mask, slowly helping Sailor Moon to her feet. "You finally defeated Cestari..."

"And we... we couldn't have done it without you two," Sailor Mars said, standing up and brushing herself off

"Yeah... Sammy, and Tuxedo Mask... both of you really helped us out," Sailor Jupiter said, smiling as the two helped Sailor Mercury and Sailor Moon stand upright. "And that was really impressive, Sailor Mercury... how you busted out of that cage you were in and rescued Sammy, that was awesome!"

"I've got to thank you for that, Ami..." Sammy said, gently brushing some of the dirt and dust off of Sailor Mercury's face. "You saved my life, and... and when you said you'd always love me, it gave me the confidence to face Cestari down. Thank you, Ami...."

"No, Sammy," Sailor Mercury said, her hands firmly wrapped around Sammy's waist. "Thank you..."

The two lovers leaned in and kissed, and Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask began to kiss as well, as Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus looked on.

"You guys... I really need to start going steady with someone," Sailor Venus said. "You know, like Andrew or something... I wonder how his tongue would taste?"  


"That's gross, Venus," Sailor Mars said, glaring daggers at the amorous Senshi. "Besides, I'm sure Chad would kiss a lot better than Andrew would."

  
"Guys, stop fighting," Sailor Jupiter said, smiling brightly. "Let Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury have their moment... they've earned it. _Oh, Ken... when will I ever see you again?"_

Suddenly, the Senshi's thoughts and embraces were interrupted by a weak groaning noise from behind them. As they turned around, they gasped as they witnessed the badly-beaten Cestari, blood dripping from almost every part of his body, struggling to get to his feet.

"How many times do we have to blast you to get you to stay dead?" Sammy shouted.

"Shh, Sammy," Sailor Mercury whispered. "It's okay, we beat him before and we can beat him again..."

"No need.... for that," Cestari groaned, a smirk appearing on his face. "In about a couple of minutes... I'll fall for the last time... you can be sure of that... that attack was incredible, Sailor Senshi, I must compliment you... I'm just... trying to make... every second count... you know?"

"What do you mean by that?" Sailor Moon snapped, pointing her henshin stick (detransformed once again from the Sword of the Moon) at Cestari's battered face. "Just stay down..."

"Where... is the fun... in that?" Cestari chuckled, finally able to stand upright. "What fun is the glorious spectacle of death... if you don't... get to take... someone... with you?"

Cestari pointed his arm at Sailor Mercury, and pinched his fingers together in a tight, squeezing motion. Sailor Mercury immediately clutched her neck and began gasping for breath.

  
"Can't... breathe!" Sailor Mercury shouted frantically. "He's cutting off... my windpipe!"

The Sailor Senshi gasped in horror, and at that moment, the rage within Sammy grew monstrous, and the Dark Crystal's influence returned with a vengeance. Sammy turned toward Cestari and unsheathed his sword, his energy aura flaring up to incredible proportions.

"LET HER GO NOW!" Sammy shouted. "OR I'LL-"

"Kill me?" Cestari said, continuing to chuckle, even as he coughed up a large amount of blood. "Boy, I'm already dead..."

Sailor Mercury gasped in agony, collapsing to her knees once more. Sammy, his anger growing to an apex, ran at Cestari and slashed his sword across the vicious warrior's throat. Immediately, Cestari's powerful grip on Sailor Mercury's neck and fell to the ground, a smile on his face. He looked up at Sammy, who was standing over him, his sword dripping with blood. 

"Why... are you smiling.... when I've just... cut your throat?" Sammy growled, rage still coursing through his body. 

"Because I've just won..." Cestari half-gurgled, blood filling his mouth. "The Crystal's secret... my secret... it only activates... when I... am killed by its possessor... so... this entire time, Sammy... you were my time bomb... gathering energy... for the day... I'd finally have you come here and end my misery... my suffering... my wait is finally over, Sammy... my revenge is.... complete...."

Cestari's eyes closed, and his body vanished in a brilliant flashed of energy. Sammy and the others shielded their eyes from the explosion, and when Sammy opened his eyes again, he looked down at his chest and gasped. Over his heart was now a black wisp of energy, hovering over the exact point where the Dark Crystal had been planted. He immediately knew that its energies had been released. Within moments, he would be in the crystal's complete control... he would become the crystal itself. He turned to the Senshi and looked into their eyes with the last loving glance he could muster before the crystal's energy would turn him into a vile being of pure hatred. His eyes met with Ami's, and a single tear fell out of them.

"Ami..." Sammy whispered.

"Sammy..." Sailor Mercury whispered back, slowly walking toward Sammy, her arms outstretched toward him. "It's over now, Sammy... it's all over... the Dark Crystal is gone, we can go home now!"

Clearly, none of the others in the room had heard Cestari's dying words. It would now be up to Sammy to warn them... before it was too late.

"Ami.... I love you," Sammy said. "But... you have to go... take the others and get out of here, right now!"

Sailor Mercury gasped, and stopped just short of Sammy. Her eyes reflected a pained, hurt expression, not quite understanding the meaning of Sammy's words.

"Sammy, I don't... I don't understand," Sailor Mercury said sadly, her arms still reaching out to him. "We can... go home... it's over now, Sammy..."

"Ami, please... please get out of here before it's too late! The Crystal has me, Ami!" Sammy managed to shout, even as he felt all the negative emotions swelling through his body, into his heart, almost to his brain... he saw Sailor Mercury and the other Senshi recoil, and that was all he could do to save them... he couldn't contain the explosion. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

A huge burst of dark energy exploded around Sammy, engulfing his body and instantly killing the old Sammy that Rick, Mika, Mei-Lin, Miss Haruna, Rei, Mina, Lita, Darien, and countless others had known as a friend, that Mr. and Mrs. Tsukino had known as a son, that Serena had known as a brother, and that Ami had known as her one eternal true love. Now, the Dark Crystal had emerged, and it was ready to unleash its wrath upon the entire galaxy, hijacking the mind, body, and soul of Sammy Tsukino for its evil purposes. Sailor Mercury and the others could only watch through the column of pure destructive force as the one they had loved was lost to them forever.

"Sammy.... no...." 

Sailor Mercury's voice seemed instantly defeated, her arms slumping as she sorrowfully hung her head. She had forgotten Sammy's warning to leave and never look back, and she was the first to see the new being that had emerged from the crystal. 

The being had taken the form of Sammy, but had radically transformed his body. His hair had turned completely black, and it flapped slightly upward, suspended by the incredible column of black energy surging around the boy's body. His skin had turned sickly and grey, like the pale horse of the apocalypse, and hundreds of throbbing veins had appeared all over his body, crisscrossing his chest, arms, and legs, with smaller scars across his face. His fingernails had turned into pointed spikes that protruded a little more than an inch from his fingers, and his eyes were completely black, giving the being a soulless appearance. Sammy's clothes had been disintegrated by the transformation, but the being wore a black garment that resembled briefs, with black tassels hanging down from it that went down to just above the transformed boy's knees. Everything about Sammy was gone, replaced with features far more suited to a demon, a being of pure evil. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask kept their distance, but Sailor Mercury courageously stood up to it, her eyes locked on its own. She was determined to find some sort of spark left of her beloved Sammy... the boy she loved now more than ever, and was determined to see him again.

"Sammy..." Sailor Mercury sobbed, tears streaming down her face. "I know... you're in there.... I know you can hear me, Sammy... I love you, and... and no matter what... you're going through right now, please... please know, please know.... I love you, and I'll always love you, Sammy... I promise I'll find you."

"Ami, we have to go!" Sailor Moon shouted, sobbing almost as much as Sailor Mercury was. "Sammy's gone now.... I know it might seem like he's here, but he's not! We have to go and recover our strength so we can beat this thing and bring Sammy back!"

"Sammy is trapped INSIDE this thing!" Sailor Mercury screamed back at the other Senshi. "And I am NOT leaving, Serena! I refuse to go! Sammy's life depends on me!"

"Is that... what you think?" said the being in a horrible-sounding voice, resembling Sammy's, but twisted into a sick, demonic screech that immediately made Sailor Mercury begin to tremble. "Sammy is gone, and he will never come back! I am the Dark Crystal, and you're about to die!"

With incredible speed, the being dove upon Sailor Mercury and slammed her to the ground on her back. She hit her head on the ground and screamed in pain as a small gash formed on the back of her head from the incredible force of the fall. The being slammed its hand over her mouth and dug its powerful claws into her face, as it used its other hand to rip away the top of her Sailor outfit, tearing the fabric of the dress to pieces, and ripping its beautiful blue bow in half. The being then ripped its claws across Mercury's chest, but her screams of pain were completely silenced as the monster's other hand gripped her face even tighter. The Senshi rushed toward the being, who stopped tearing into Sailor Mercury's midsection and fired a powerful blast at them, knocking all of them into the wall except for Sailor Moon, who stood her ground and took out her henshin stick, pointing it at the being's head as it again went to work on Sailor Mercury, striking her in the forehead while keeping its other hand firmly over her lips.

"The boy can't hear you!" screeched the being as Sailor Mercury frantically struggled to escape its grip. "HE'S DEAD!"

__

"No... he's not!" Sailor Mercury thought._ "Sammy, I know you're alive in there... you have... you have to stop this terrible beast, before-"_

"Let her go now, your fight is with me!" Sailor Moon shouted, an incredible strength welling up from within her body. The Silver Crystal on her brooch began to glow with a bright, warm light, and she put away her henshin stick, pointing the Silver Crystal in the direction of the beast. "The Imperium Silver Crystal senses your presence, and it's about to destroy you!"

  
"It is a useless toy!" shouted the being, pointing its hand at the glowing crystal and extending a dark energy thread that effortlessly ripped the brooch from Sailor Moon's senshi uniform. She stumbled back and fell to the ground, gasping in terror as the brooch skidded across the floor, hopelessly out of her reach.

__

"The Crystal... no!" Sailor Moon thought. _"This can't happen!"_

The brooch skidded across the floor and right into Sailor Mercury, lightly bumping into the side of her body. The being ignored it, striking her in the forehead with a punch that nearly knocked her unconscious. Mercury's eyes met the crystal, and she desperately began groping for it on the ground. Both of her arms had been broken by the being's attacks, but she ignored the pain and clasped her fingers around the brooch, closing her eyes and desperately hoping it would help her in some way.

__

"Sammy... I love you so much... I'm going to find you, Sammy... I'll save you... the Dark Crystal's taken your body, but it can never take your heart... not from me!"

Suddenly, the arm with which Sailor Mercury was clutching the crystal felt completely lighter... completely healed. A wave of healing energy swept through her entire body, and as the being went to strike her again, its hand stopped just short of her forehead. All of the wounds, bruises, and injuries on her body were disappearing as rapidly as they had been formed.

"What's going on?" shouted the evil being, its hand still firmly clamped over Sailor Mercury's mouth. "You bitch, what are you doing?"

__

"Her love for Sammy... it activated the Silver Crystal... I don't believe it!" thought Sailor Moon. Sailor Mercury's tattered Senshi fuku instantly repaired itself, and then, a wave of energy swept outward from her body, knocking the being off of her body and sweeping it almost to the other side of the room. The Senshi of Water picked herself up from the ground, with not a mark or wound on her body. Sailor Moon's brooch was still glowing in her hand as the Silver Crystal's energy continued to flow into Sailor Mercury's body. She closed her eyes, and when the being glanced in Sailor Mercury's direction, all he could see was a bright white silhouette, completely bathed in light. The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask were witnessing the same spectacle, and only Sailor Moon, who had experienced the incredible event before, fully knew what was happening to Sailor Mercury.

__

"She's transforming again... she's ascending... she's becoming Eternal Sailor Mercury!"

When the light disappeared, Sailor Mercury's Senshi fuku was gone, replacing by a flowing white gown. Sailor Moon's brooch, containing the Silver Crystal, was now in the middle of Sailor Mercury's chest, shimmering against the gown's white reflection. Brilliant, angelic white wings had emerged from Sailor Mercury's back, their feathers glistening even in the room's dim light. Her face reflected a look of calm serenity, and the first to see it were the Senshi, as Sailor Mercury turned to them one last time.

"I'll take care of this...." said Eternal Sailor Mercury, smiling warmly at them. "Please, the rest of you... please go. I'll rescue Sammy... and we'll both come back, together."

  
"Ami, you.... you can't...." Sailor Moon sobbed, stunned beyond belief at Sailor Mercury's transformation. "He'll... he'll hurt you again..."

  
Eternal Sailor Mercury simply shook her head.

"No, no he won't," she said quietly. "Please, Sailor Moon... I love Sammy, and I won't let him fall into the abyss..."

"Serena, Ami can do this," Tuxedo Mask said, gently tugging on Sailor Moon's arm. "We've got to go, like Ami said... we have to trust her on this... like Sammy did."

__

"Sammy did.... he did trust Ami," Sailor Moon thought, blinking a tear away from her eye. _"And now, I have to trust her as well..."_

Tuxedo Mask, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus rushed out of the room, but Sailor Moon remained, just to give her friend one last bit of encouragement.

"I do believe in you, Ami," Sailor Moon said, smiling at Eternal Sailor Mercury. "And if there's anyone who can free Sammy, it's you.... I know you love him, Ami..."

"Thank you, Serena," Eternal Sailor Mercury replied. "I won't let you or Sammy down..."

Sailor Moon left the room, leaving Eternal Sailor Mercury alone with the embodiment of the Dark Crystal, who had been waiting patiently for the Senshi to say her goodbyes.

"It's too bad, Sailor Mercury.... they'll never see you again... or Sammy," said the being, flaring up a dark energy aura that looked exactly like Sammy's had the day he'd fought Jekelai. "And when I kill you, there will be no one left to protect the solar system... you're the Silver Crystal now, just as I am the Dark Crystal. You have no chance to defeat me!"

  
Sammy's katana immediately materialized in the being's hand, flashing with an even darker energy aura than the rest of its body. Eternal Sailor Mercury held out her hand, and suddenly, a beautiful, curved blue blade appeared in her hand. It was shorter than Sammy's, but its blue color gave it a beautiful shine, and it also pulsated with a bright, silver aura of its own. 

"I will fight you the same way Sammy fought every fiend that imprisoned me," Eternal Sailor Mercury said, a smile of determination on her face. "You have imprisoned Sammy, and this sword shall free him from the bondage you are keeping him in. I am not afraid to harm your body, for my love will heal him like his love healed me... he is still alive, somewhere inside of you... and I will not stop fighting until he is free."

"Believe all that you want," the being said in its screeching, sickening voice. "He is dead... and you will soon go to join him!"

Just as it had done just a few minutes earlier, the being ran at Sailor Mercury, quickly spanning the gap between the two warriors. But instead of moving to counter its charge, Eternal Sailor Mercury simply raised up her sword and held it in front of her, like a protective shield. The being swung its own blade at Mercury's head, but it quickly met her own blade, and the two swords clashed, making a loud, metallic clang and throwing off a large shockwave of energy. The being slashed at Sailor Mercury again, but its sword was yet again stopped by hers, sending off another shockwave. Eternal Sailor Mercury never moved to position her own blade in front of the being's, holding it out in front of her chest with her hands gripped around the blade's hilt, holding the blade upward in a prayer-like gesture, with her eyes closed to complete the effect. The being began to strike at her again, but instead decided to stop his rain of slashes and take a step backward, curiously eyeing the fixated Senshi.

"You do not step forth to attack me.... why?"

Eternal Sailor Mercury's eyes opened, and she suddenly lowered her blade into an attack position.

"You didn't ask."

Showing speed similar to that of the being's, she lunged forward and slashed her blade across the being's chest, creating a bow-shaped shockwave that sent the monster flying back like a meteor. He flew across the room and almost into the opposite wall before barely managing to stop himself. He was angry now, and his bulbous veins were pulsating with energy, even as the large cut on his chest began rapidly dripping blood.

"You will pay for that!" shouted the being, as the room suddenly turned dark as night. "You will pay with your miserable life!"

Several dark energy spheres began to rotate around Eternal Sailor Mercury's head, and soon, they turned into large, boulder-like objects, each of them shining with a black glow, which could be seen even against the darkness of the room. 

__

"I won't let myself be intimidated by this monster's attacks!" thought Eternal Sailor Mercury, even as her entire body began trembling in fear despite her own immense power. _"Sammy, just hold on a little while longer..."_

Again, the female warrior's hands flew to her chest, and again she closed her eyes, bracing for the attack. With atrocious ferocity, the meteors began to rain down upon Eternal Sailor Mercury, but as they drew close, they smashed against an invisible barrier of magical energy protecting the Senshi, each meteor exploding in a huge burst of red and black as soon as it had hit the barrier. After twenty such blasts, the evil embodiment of the Dark Crystal ceased its attack, and light once more filled the room. When Eternal Sailor Mercury opened her eyes, she could see that the vicious, pale being had become more frustrated than ever, and his face lit up with rage.

"How... how could you?" shouted the being, pointing its sword directly in Eternal Sailor Mercury's direction. "That was one of my most powerful attacks, and-"

"You're just like every miserable youma and enemy that the Senshi and I have come across," replied Eternal Sailor Mercury. "You think that evil is the strongest force in the universe... but it's not. The most powerful force in the universe is love, and right now, you're holding the person I love prisoner... and I want him back!"

And for the first time in the entire fight, Eternal Sailor Mercury went on the offensive. She lunged at the being and slashed her sword all over his body. But where its slashes had failed, Eternal Sailor Mercury's blade, guided by her love for Sammy, didn't miss a single mark. When her attack had ended, the vicious being was left writhing in pain on one knee, with deadly cuts criss-crossing its entire body. Eternal Sailor Mercury placed her blade at the being's neck, ready to strike the final blow. But of course, she couldn't... Sammy was still trapped somewhere inside the being's ravaged body, and she was determined to pull him out.

"Give back Sammy," Eternal Sailor Mercury said, in a tone completely opposite her earlier serenity. "Leave this plane, and never come back!"

Suddenly, Eternal Sailor Mercury was staring into a pair of eyes that she had desperately been hoping to see again. The being's expression had changed into that of Sammy's, but something was definitely wrong. The boy's eyes were filled with tears, and his face was twisted into an expression of pain. 

"Ami... why?" cried the being, seemingly Sammy returned from the abyss. Immediately, Eternal Sailor Mercury took a step back, and let out a loud gasp, her hand flying to her lips.

__

"It can't be... his body is still pale, like the being's... but his eyes... his voice... they're Sammy's!" Eternal Sailor Mercury thought, horror filling her mind. _"I thought his body would be healed once he was brought back... no, this can't be possible!"_

"Why did you hurt me, Ami? I feel like I've been ripped to shreds... Ami, do you hate me?"

"Sammy, I love you!" Eternal Sailor Mercury cried.

"It's a lie, Ami! You hurt me! You hurt me, and you hate me! And I... _I hate you!_"

Driven nearly to tears, Eternal Sailor Mercury suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her eyes, once wide with fear, began to narrow again, and she looked straight into the being's own eyes, disguised as Sammy's loving blue orbs. Her face became serious once more, and she pointed her hand at the being, as the Silver Crystal on her chest shined with its full radiance.

"You creepy little bastard... all you can ever think about is hatred."

The being immediately knew its vile ruse had been uncovered, and its eyes changed back to their normal, black appearance.

"Sammy would never, _ever _say he hated me.... no matter what," Eternal Sailor Mercury said quietly, her entire body beginning to glow with a bright blue light as her sword disappeared. She would no longer need it now. "We have both pledged our eternal love to one another... and now I will show you the full strength of that love!"

  
The being itself began to glow, and let out a loud, painful cry as it found itself unable to move.

"And now.... _you will release Sammy!_"

An incredible blue light engulfed both Sailor Mercury and the being, and as the Silver Crystal's energy pierced into the being's body, it quickly discovered the Dark Crystal, pulsating within the monstrous creature's heart. The energy flew into the crystal, shattering it on contact, and ending forever any influence that it would ever have on another living soul. But the Silver Crystal didn't stop there. A wave of healing swept out from the Silver Crystal, instantly restoring countless other lives that had been shattered by the Dark Crystal's influence. The wave of healing swept across the entire planet, and then made its way back to the Silver Crystal. The huge amount of magical energy slammed into Eternal Sailor Mercury with immense force, immediately transforming her back to Sailor Mercury and sending her to her knees, gasping for breath. The use of the Silver Crystal had taken a lot out of the Senshi of Water, and she was obviously exhausted.

"Sammy.... I... I think I got him..." Sailor Mercury said, slowly climbing to her feet. "But where-"

  
And then, she saw Sammy. He was lying on his back at her feet, his clothes in tatters. He didn't have a single flesh wound on his body, but his eyes were closed, and he appeared unconscious. She fell to her knees next to him and began to gently brush her hand through his hair, which had been disheveled by the intensity of the battle. 

"Sammy, it's going to be okay..." Sailor Mercury whispered, her hand moving down to Sammy's face. "The Crystal's gone... it really is over this time..."

  
Sammy let out a weak-sounding groan, and a wave of relief rushed over Sailor Mercury's body as Sammy slowly began to stir to life. His eyes fluttered open, and he raised himself into a sitting position, turning to Sailor Mercury. 

"Ami.... we really won?" Sammy said weakly. Sailor Mercury simply nodded her head, and then swept Sammy into her arms, tears of joy freely flowing from her eyes.

"Sammy... I never want to lose you again," Sailor Mercury whispered, her arms tightly wrapped around his body. She wanted to hold Sammy forever, and to never let him fall into the hands of evil again. When she finally broke off the embrace, Sammy looked into her eyes, and with the biggest smile he could muster, said...

"You never lost me, Ami... I was in your heart the whole time," Sammy replied. "That's what I'm uh... supposed to say, right? I'm not really good with this whole mushy stuff, and-"

Not needing to hear another word, Sailor Mercury leaned in and pressed her lips against Sammy's, and Sammy reciprocated by tightening his grip around her waist. The two lovers kissed for what was only a few seconds, but to them seemed like an eternity... an eternity in each other's arms.

---

Meanwhile, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask had been standing at the base of the Tokyo Tower for the last few minutes, having used a Sailor Teleport to get from the bottom of Cestari's floating fortress to the street below. Sailor Moon had been crying the entire time, intensely worried that something terrible had happened to her brother and best friend. All Tuxedo Mask could do was allow Sailor Moon to cry on his shoulder, while giving encouraging words to the four Senshi forced to wait on the sidelines.

"Sailor Mercury is strong... and she's got your Silver Crystal with her, Serena," Tuxedo Mask reassured her. "She won't lose..."

"Yeah, how many times has that thing saved our butts before?" Sailor Mars quipped. "Lots of times. Sailor Mercury knows how to use it just as well as you do..."

"And it's fueled by love, remember? As long as she wields it in the name of someone she loves, the Silver Crystal can't fail!" said Sailor Venus.

"So cheer up, Sailor Moon... your brother and Sailor Mercury are gonna be fine, I know it!" Sailor Jupiter said with a smile.

"Yeah, I know..." Sailor Moon sniffled. "But... but..."

"Hey, Serena!"

"What the-?"

The Senshi and Tuxedo Mask turned toward the entrance of the tower, where the voice had originated. There, they saw Sammy, carrying the exhausted Sailor Mercury out of the tower in his arms. Sailor Moon let out a squeal of delight and ran toward Sammy, tears streaming down her face.

"Ami, I'm going to have to put you down for a second, okay?" Sammy said quickly, and Sailor Mercury nodded, allowing Sammy to set her down on her feet next to him just as Sailor Moon nearly tackled Sammy with a powerful bearhug.

"Sammy, you had me worried so much!" Sailor Moon shouted, scolding Sammy while wrapping him in the tightest embrace she could muster. "Don't you... ever do that again!"

  
Sailor Moon giggled gleefully as she released Sammy from the hug, and Sailor Mercury turned around and placed Sailor Moon's brooch, containing the now dormant Silver Crystal, in her hand.

  
"Sailor Moon, I believe this belongs to you... but thank you for allowing me to borrow it," Sailor Mercury said gratefully.

"And thank you for saving Sammy," Sailor Moon said, placing the brooch back on her chest and hugging Sailor Mercury as well. 

"I didn't save Sammy so much as he saved me," Sailor Mercury said, looking over at Sammy while hugging his overly excited sister. "In fact, I believe he saved all of us..."  


"So did you, Ami..." Sammy replied. "So did you..."

---

Sammy walked into his classroom the next morning, at a new facility that had been especially chosen to accommodate the students of Crossroads Junior High while the extensive repair process was being completed. He sat in a desk next to his friends Rick, Mika, and Mei-Lin. Rick and Mika, along with several other students, had been moved into Sammy's classroom, as the new facility didn't have enough rooms to accommodate all of the students. Sammy sighed as he remembered the terrible fate that his teacher had suffered at the hands of one of Jekelai's vicious mercenaries, frowning as he thought he'd never see her again.

"I wonder who our teacher's going to be... you know, now that Miss Haruna is-"

"Sammy, what are you talking about?" Mei-Lin said, causing a surprised expression to come across Sammy's face. "She got out of the hospital this morning... you saved her from that guy, remember?"

__

"I did WHAT?" Sammy thought, shaking his head. _"I thought Miss Haruna was-"  
_

"Good morning, class!" said Miss Haruna, confidently striding into the room. Only a small bandage was on her cheek, and another small one on her neck. The rest of her body was completely untouched. Sammy did a double-take in his seat. "Now, I know that class will be confusing today because of the new building, but bear with me, and-"

"Miss Haruna!" Sammy said happily, hopping out of his seat and running toward his resurrected teacher. As she let out a gasp of surprise, Sammy wrapped his arms around her, and the class immediately began to laugh.

"Sammy, why I... I know you're happy about me being safe after leaving the museum in a stretcher, but I assure you I'm fine.... please return to your seat!"

"Yes, Miss Haruna," Sammy said, sadly trudging back to his seat. The class continued to laugh, even after Sammy had sat down, but Rick shot him a comforting glance.

"Hey, we all saw everything that went down at the museum, Sammy... remember, we were there!" Rick said, smiling in Sammy's direction.

"You were so heroic, barging into the bathroom and knocking that guy off of Miss Haruna... then you beat him up until Sailor Mercury came and froze him into oblivion... that was awesome!" Mika said, giving Sammy a thumbs-up.

__

"So the Silver Crystal's energy must have changed some of the past, too..." Sammy thought, a smile on his face. _"I'm just glad Miss Haruna's alright..."_

"Now class, don't laugh at him," Miss Haruna said, brushing herself off as she sat down at her own desk. "Sammy's actually a pretty big hero... he saved my life, you know. Thank you, Sammy..."

---

After school that day, Sammy, feeling a skip in his step after Miss Haruna's return, began walking toward the nearby building where Serena and her friends, including Ami, now attended school until their own schools could be repaired.

  
"Sammy, are you sure you don't want to go to the arcade with us?" Mei-Lin asked, walking the other direction down the sidewalk with Rick and Mika.

"I'll catch up with you guys later... I promise I'd meet Ami after school, but I'll be there later, okay?"

Sammy smiled at his friends one last time, and then quickly made his way to the other school building, meeting Ami as she left the school with Serena and the others.

"Hi, Sammy!" Ami said, a smile on her face. "You seem really happy today..."

"You're glad we don't have to fight Nega-jerks today, aren't ya?" Serena asked, playfully giving Sammy a noogie.

"Cut it out, Serena... and of course I'm happy!" Sammy said, smiling back at Ami and the other girls. "And guess what? I don't know how it happened, but somehow, the Silver Crystal-"

  
"Brought Miss Haruna back to life?" Serena asked. "Sammy, I was so relieved to find out... she called us last night thanking you for saving her, and I'm like 'what the hell, you're supposed to be dead... wait a minute, you're alive? Yay!' I wanted to get you, but you and Ami were asleep together on the couch... you looked so cute resting your head in Ami's lap like that!"

"I did _what_?" Sammy said, an embarrassed blush appearing on his face.

"Don't worry, Sammy, I was just as embarrassed when I got up this morning," Ami said, kissing Sammy on the cheek. "And all of the kids from my school that were killed by Jekelai came back too... only with minor scratches and bruises and stuff... I was so happy!"

"I saw Greg and Bianca in journalism class," Mina said, a devious smile on her face. "Caught them making out in the corner of the room... isn't that exciting?"  


"You would think making out with someone is exciting," Rei groaned.

"Don't look now, you guys, but..."

  
Lita pointed at Ami and Sammy, who had just started a make-out session of their own. Serena turned her head away and pretended to gag, while the other three girls simply giggled at the young lovers.

"What's so funny?" Ami asked, breaking off the sensual kiss and turning back toward her friends. 

"Aw, keep making out!" Mina said, whipping out her cell phone. "I've got to get a picture on my cameraphone... now, keep your tongues in view of the camera, and-"

  
"Ami and me are going to the park," Sammy said, gently pushing Mina's camera back toward her face. "See you girls later!"

Ami giggled, and then followed Sammy to the park, leaving their friends standing in front of the school, giggling hysterically.

---

The days passed, and the tranquillity and peace that greeted Sammy, Ami, and their friends was an enjoyable contrast to the violence of their struggles against the Dark Crystal and its equally evil seekers. For Sammy and Ami, it was a time to appreciate one another and the bond that they both shared, taking as many opportunities to be together as they could. One of those opportunities was the Japanese Open, the chess tournament that Ami had told Sammy about. Ami had given Sammy chess lessons over the past two weeks while also studying herself, both to spend time with Sammy and to build his confidence up enough to enter the tournament.

"Well, Ami... I'm 6 and 3 going into the final round," Sammy said, looking at the standings that had been posted on the wall near the entrance of the convention center where the tournament was being held.

"That's really good, Sammy..." Ami said, smiling at him. "You beat some strong players today!"

  
"Yeah, but I didn't do as well as you... Ami, you've got a perfect record. You're playing for the championship next round!"

"And against Japan's defending national champion," Ami said, looking at the pairings. "He's an international grandmaster... he's so brilliant, I'll never beat-"

  
"Now... just listen to yourself, Ami... you sound just like me before the tournament," Sammy said, trying his best to encourage Ami. "You can beat this guy, I know you can do it! And when you do, you'll be Japan's national chess champion! Its youngest ever!"

"That's why I'm worried," Ami said, looking down to the floor. "I'm only 17... I'm too young to be a national champion of anything... this guy's been playing twice as long as I've been alive."

"But does he have the talent that you do, Ami? He might have the experience, but he's not nearly as smart as you... Ami, I believe in you, I always have, and-"

  
Ami leaned over and briefly kissed Sammy's lips, and then smiled at him while looking into his eyes.

"I know you believe in me, Sammy.... and I believe in myself," Ami said. "You'll be cheering for me, won't you?"

"Of course I will, Ami!" Sammy said, holding up a pennant-shaped flag with Ami's name and picture on it. "You'll always be #1 in my heart!"

  
"Hey... hey, psst!" whispered a voice from the nearby ladies' restroom, causing Sammy and Ami to turn around. An arm was sticking out of the room, beckoning both of them inside.

"I can't come in there, I'm a guy!" Sammy said, chuckling.

"Both of you, quickly!" whispered the voice. Sammy and Ami quickly looked around to make sure the coast was clear, and then ducked into the bathroom to see who had called them. When they realized who it was, their eyes lit up with joy.

It was Sparrow Migoto.

  
"You guys seem happy to see me... yeah, I guess it's been a while, hasn't it?" Sparrow said in her sweet, cheerful voice. 

"Sparrow.... how did... how did... you?" Sammy stammered, a shocked expression on his face. "Sparrow, oh my gosh, I-"

  
"Don't mention it, Sammy... the Dark Crystal had a hold over you, I understand... I'm just glad the two of you were able to beat Jekelai and his boss while I was away."

"Wait, did the Silver Crystal revive you too, or-" Ami began before Sparrow raised her hand, cutting Ami off.

"Actually... I resurrected myself," said Sparrow, "using an energy reserve I'd stored deep within my body... however, I can only perform the resurrection technique once, so..."

  
"If you die again..." Ami began.

"I'm dead for good," Sparrow said, finishing Ami's sentence.

"Sparrow.... Sparrow, I-"

Sparrow wrapped her arms around Sammy in a tight hug, her hand gently caressing his back as a tear fell down his cheek.

"I forgive you, Sammy... you're a hero, and don't ever forget it. Sammy, Ami... I'm glad to call you my friends."

Sparrow slowly stepped to the back of the restroom, glowing a warm, white glow.

"Sparrow, where are you going?" Ami asked.

"I'm going back to my world... but I promise to return to visit you all someday," Sparrow said, one last smile on her face. "Goodbye, Ami... goodbye, Sammy... may your love last forever more!"

A bright flash appeared, and then Sparrow was gone, returned to her homeworld. 

"Ami... did you see what Sparrow... what she said, she said-"

"She forgives you, Sammy.... but I think she believes something else about you, Sammy," Ami said, walking over to Sammy and stroking his cheek. "You don't need to be forgiven, Sammy... nothing that happened was your fault."

And for the first time since Jekelai had attacked them so long ago, Sammy believed Ami... none of what had happened was his fault. Nothing at all...

---

"Guys, this tournament is Nerd Central," Serena said as she walked through the halls of the convention center. "I should've brought my CD player, or my Gameboy, or my boyfriend or something. I'm so bored!"

"Quit whining, Serena... we're here to support Ami and you know that!" Rei snapped.

  
"Yeah, be nice," said Lita. "Besides, this tournament has some great food, and the people are really friendly!"

"I thought for sure you'd be interested in the food, Serena," said Mina, waving a small paper nacho container in front of Serena's face.

"Eww, you're eating those stale nachos with the crusty cheese?" Serena asked, turning her head away. 

"They're actually really good, Serena, and the money goes to local schools all over Tokyo... you have to at least buy something," Lita said.

"Right now, the only thing I have to do is use the restroom," Serena said, as the four girls turned the corner and began walking toward the ladies' room. "I promise I'll buy something afterwards."

"We'll hold you to it, Serena..." Rei said, pushing open the door to the ladies room. "Because remember, you pro-"

The girls suddenly stood with their mouths agape as they saw Sammy and Ami, passionately kissing in the corner of the room. Sammy was madly running his hands through Ami's hair, and surprisingly, Ami seemed to enjoy it. The sight of Sammy and Ami making out deeply disturbed something within Serena's psyche, and she began another one of her loud tirades.

"Okay, that's-" was all Serena could get out before Rei, Lita, and Mina all covered her mouth at the exact same time and began dragging her out of the room.

  
"We'll find another restroom," Rei said. 

"And then you're going to buy some food, and you're going to like it," Lita told her.

"We can't disturb the happy couple, Serena..."

  
As soon as the girls had left the room, Sammy and Ami stopped kissing and continued to stare into each other's eyes for the next few seconds.

  
"You know, Ami... I had a dream about what was going to happen," Sammy said.

"You told me that dream, Sammy.... it was the one where I was in the darkness, and-"

"And I was trying to find you, but I couldn't, because that evil version of me was in the way," Sammy said, his lips curving into a frown.

"Sammy..." said Ami, her face becoming sadder by the second.

"But Ami," Sammy said, looking up into Ami's eyes and smiling again. "The dream had it a bit wrong... instead of you lost in the darkness, it was me... and you found me, Ami."

"No, Sammy... the dream was right," Ami said, smiling at Sammy and kissing him on the cheek. "But it was just unfinished... it was you that found me, Sammy."

  
_"Contestants in the Japanese Open, Final Round matches will begin in five minutes, so please head to your boards immediately."_

"Well, I guess I'd better get to my match now, Sammy," Ami said, starting toward the door.

"Ami?" Sammy said, walking up to Ami and taking her by the hand, looking into her eyes one last time.

"Yes, Sammy?"

"I'm glad.... we found each other," Sammy said.

"I'm glad I found you too, Sammy Tsukino...."

And they walked out of the room, hand in hand... looking into each other's eyes. 

---

Ooooh, that was so sweet! ^_^ I finally finished by longest (and I think best) story ever! And by the way, anyone who wants to know if Ami won the chess tournament... you'll have to wait for Looking To The Stars, the final installment in this series, coming summer 2005. But for now, my next project is A Collision Of Souls, the sequel to my Ami/Mirai Trunks crossover romance fic Love In A Ruined World! Thanks to all my loyal readers, and I wish you peace, joy, and love for many days to come! 


End file.
